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Tuesday, August 10, 2010

The Evolution of Gracedale, aka Valley of the Nuts

A friend suggested that you might be interested in a brief history of Gracedale. I spent a few hours yesterday in Easton Library's famous Marx Room, named after Groucho. What I've learned is that, since its existence, somebody has always been trying to kill Gracedale, which was almost named Valley of the Nuts. Just as important, Gracedale has consistently redefined itself over the years.

1. The early days. - Gracedale is part of what was originally a 600-acre farm, settled by the Moravians in 1745. Single dudes had to live on a similar-sized farm called Christian Springs, where they had access to plenty of cold showers. Gracedale was for the married folks.

How did it get its name? There were actually two factions. One group of prissies wanted to call it Gnadenthal. Being German, that sounds pretty tough, almost like a name for one of the Transformers. But it actually means Dale of Grace, or Kindness.

Another group of Moravians, led by Ronald Von Angle, wanted to call it Neissthal. That's another German name and it sounds pretty tough, too. But it translates to Nutty Valley, or Valley of the Nuts, supposedly because of all the hickory and walnut trees.

For some reason, Valley of the Nuts sounds perfect to me, but Moravians had a love feast and went with Kindness.

2. Indian Attempt to Kill Kindness. - Everything went dandy for the married Moravians at Gnadenthal, a farm of "unsurpassed fertility." But in 1763, a group of Indians on their way home from Bethlehem were provoked and robbed. The response was an uprising that coincided with other uprisings elsewhere, and quickly spun out of control. One of the places ravaged, in East Allen Township, is now the home of County Executive John Stoffa. I kid you not! Stoffa was only in his teens in 1763, too young to own real estate. Andrew Hazlet was the unfortunate owner.

In an account published by none other than Ben Franklin, we learn that Hazlet attempted unsuccessfully to defend his home from attack. "Hazlet attempted to fire on the Indians, but missed, and he was shot himself, which his wife, some distance off, saw. She ran off with two children, but was pursued and overtaken by the Indians, who caught and tomahawked her and the children in a dreadful manner; yet she and one of the children lived until four days after, and the other child recovered. Hazlet's house was plundered."

When word of this and other atrocities reached the Moravians at Gnadenthal, they stockaded the entire farm, which was considered the "bread basket of Pennsylvania." Fortunately for the Moravians, they had built up such a good reputation with local Indians that most actually assisted in defense.

When all was said and done, Gnadenthal was spared. Who the hell wants to attack people who have "love feasts" and name farms "Gnadenthal"?

3. The first poorhouse. - In 1837, Pennsylvania imposed one of those "unfunded mandates" on Northampton County, requiring it to construct a home "for the Employment and Support of the Poor." According to Express Times historian James Wright, "The philosophy then current in America was that the poor could provide some relief for themselves by doing agricultural labor to defray the cost of their care through the sale of farm produce." Moravians were somehow induced to part with 235 acres for $90 per acre, along with a large dwelling house, stone barn, outbuildings and excellent spring.

An almshouse was added in 1838. It's a three-story stone structure that still stands today and is known as the Greystone Building. Total cost? $6,284.99.

4. Life in the poorhouse. - In its first year of operation, Northampton County had 117 "paupers" in residence, administered by exactly one steward (for the dudes) and one matron (for the dudettes). If someone got out of hand or refused to work, the steward could lock him in a dark cell and feed him nothing but bread and water for 48 hours.

Among the tattered papers I reviewed are notes concerning one inmate from the Slate Belt, another Ronald Von Angle. He became enraged when imprisoned, vowed revenge, and apparently used a cigar to pick the lock. He was never seen or heard from again.

All kidding aside, social reformer Dorothea Dix visited Gnadenthal twice. Dix was an advocate for the poor and mentally ill. She believed mental asylums were a humane answer to the cages, stalls and pens in which the mentally afflicted were housed in yesteryear's version of group homes. Kinda' the exact opposite of today's approach. She gave the home high marks.

5. Cholera's Attempt to Kill Kindness. - Did you know there was a cholera outbreak in 1849? It's a vicious disease that attacks the intestines, causing diarrhea and nausea, leading to dehydration, shock and death. There was no vaccine at the time. No public health department, either. It hit poorhouses and factories hardest. In Bucks County's poorhouse, 120 of 150 residents died. The Durham Iron Company was hit hard, too. People refused to leave their homes for fear of contracting the disease.

Some of Gnadentahl's residents did unfortunately contract cholera and die, but comparatively few. Once again, Kindness dodges a bullet.

6. Transition for Almshouse to Retirement Community. - Sometime around WWI, other agencies began to provide services to the poor, making poorhouses irrelevant. The population that did exist got older and more infirm. Farmers have to be hired to till many of the fields. The population diminished as staffing needs doubled.

7. 1951: The Birth of Gracedale. - As the poorhouse dies a slow death, County officials embark on a new project, a bnursing home. By the end of 1951, a new and modern institution costing approximately two million dollars is completed and placed in service. The retirement home's new name, Gracedale, is the English translation of Gnadenthal. Three physicians, four pastors and several hundred undertakers are always on call.

In 1951, Gracedale still had 100 pigs and 500 laying hens. The hens found jobs at the Courthouse. The pigs joined unions.

8. 1975: Unions Threaten to Kill Gracedale. - In the wake of Indians and cholera comes the union, with a third attempt to kill Gracedale in 1975. Following an AFSCME vote to strike on July 21, 1975, leaflets are passed out that demonstrate pretty clearly just what these union workers really think of the residents. "It is obvious that Gracedale must be closed for an indefinite period of time. Some residents can go home with relatives or friends, hospitals should be notified to be ready to admit the ill, while our County Home may be able to care for the balance. ... Call the Commissioners. Demand your rights. Together we shall overcome the Commissioners' brand of politics in Northampton Couny."

This threat to kill Gracedale, of course, failed. But no matter how much unions claim to care about the residents, their 1975 leaflets indicate they were willing to subject residents to removal, all for the sake of a few bucks.

Conclusion. - Over its lengthy history, Gracedale has evolved from working farm to stockade to poorhouse. In its last sixty years, it has been a nursing home. As the number of quality caregivers increase, a County-run nursing home is becoming increasingly irrelevant. As the poorhouse faded away, it is time for Nutty Valley to assume a new role.

Sources:

NORTHAMPTON COUNTY COMM'RS TO NAME NEW ALMSHOUSE "GRACEDALE", Easton Express, 12/24/51.
COMMONWEALTH MAGAZINE, GRACEDALE (July 1952)
TRENDS AT "GRACEDALE": MORE AND OLDER GUESTS, MORE WHO ARE INFIRM, Easton Express, 8/18/53
GRACEDALE: Moravian Setting for Modern Northampton County Courthouse, by Edward F. Reimer
MODERN MEDICAL CENTER SETS GRACEDALE APART FROM OLD COUNTY HOME, Easton Express, 8/18/53
10-STORY GRACEDALE TOWER IS DEDICATED, Free Press, 2/19/1975.
ALMSHOUSES, FACTORIES HIT BY 1849 CHOLERA EPIDEMIC, James Wright, Looking Back, The Easton Express, 12/31/89, page C-6.
GRACEDALE FOUNDED AS MORAVIAN SETTLEMENT, JAMES WRIGHT, Easton Express (date unknown)
GRACEDALE: Moravian Setting for Modern Northampton County Courthouse, by Edward F. Reimer

29 comments:

Sanctifying Grace said...

Bernie,

I don't know if it is still there. But when I was the barber of Gracedale (sounds funny) I had a history of Gracedale with photos hanging in the barbershop. I had a lot of old photos of the tri-cities' downtowns hanging in the shop, as well. A lot of the residents got a kick out of those pictures. But the written history of Gracedale, along with the pictures, were very informative. I left all of those pictures hanging in the shop. The residents, their families, and some employees would get a kick out of those pictures. So I didn't have the heart to remove them. Plus going into the seminary, why would I need them.

Maybe they are still hanging? Hopefully, they still have a barber? The barber didn't just cut hair. No barber just cuts hair. The barbershop is a poor man's country club.

Peace, ~~Alex+

They R all in Cahoots!! said...

Even if they are still there, I am sure the company that did the audit..err...I mean the company that will buy it will get rid of them.

Maybe Angle can buy them with the substantial amount of money he will save by not having a tax increase.

Anonymous said...

Given the cut rate care the elderly receive in private homes we can only hope Gracedale will prevail against the "new Marauders", who wish to destroy it. Sadly, many generations of Northampton County residents worked hard, payed their taxes and knew that if the day ever came they would receive kind and compassionate care regardless of market forces from their neighbors in a NON PROFIT Home dedicated to our family and neighbors.

Unfortunately a dark cloud has spread over the County, fueled by a selfish new attitude of, "I have mine and screw you". The old work hard and treat others fairly that the good citizens of Northampton County have displayed for generations is threatened by a new "teabagger movement" dedicated to dismantling social safety nets.

It is their contention that the "private" for profit sector will care for your sick and elderly relatives with compassion and love without regard for "profit". They tell you tour relatives will always be safe, despite the fact that some Private Nursing Homes have stopped accepting medical assistance residents, it is their right. At Gracedale that never happens.

Right, now the reality of privatization wrapped in sale or a lease; that is the bullshit sandwich made by Angle/Stoffa and being marketed by their toadie Bernie O'Hare. This is a sin against all that is good and decent and an assault on the core values and principles of Northampton County.

Call your family, your friends and family members of residents and let them know this new group of 'Huns" want to sell off grandma for thirty pieces of silver and a promise to keep Mr. Angles taxes low. To accomplish this doctored numbers and false assumptions of cost are being promoted. The "consultants" intentionally mixed references to Medicare and Medicaid that are totally unrelated. I appreciate the gentleman who spoke that understood the complicated topic and questioned the methodology.

Pray and contact your County representatives to show your support for the compassionate and irreplaceable "Public not-for- profit" Gracedale that cared for your grandmother, mother and one day could care for you with dignity, compassion and love.

The future of the County hangs in the balance. We can work together to continue the promise and work of our sensible Pennsylvania German ancestors or we can let all the history and hard work be destroyed by the new barbarians that rule the County.

Peace to my fellow Northampton County Patriots

Anonymous said...

Alex, pray for Gracedale and those who would destroy it.

Anonymous said...

"But no matter how much unions claim to care about the residents, their 1975 leaflets indicate they were willing to subject residents to removal, all for the sake of a few bucks"

a rather bald conclusion...

michael molovinsky said...

bernie, this post is a transparent attempt to marginalize the significance of gracedale to the citizens of northampton county. those who are concerned about the care of their loved ones, will find no humor in this post.

Anonymous said...

Several counties have been through this. Nobody is being thrown to the street and nobody will receive lesser care. Non-union employees will be fine and may get raises. Unionized employees figure to get a rough deal because it takes 17 of them to pay for one retiree. Those 17 will require 17 apiece to pay for their retirement. That's 289 employees who'll require over 4,913 employees to pay for their retirement. Their formula was and is unsustainable and they will likely go away because of this.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Fr. Alex, I wish I had some of those pics. I know they are not at the library.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anon 12:49 = Anon 1:14 = Anion 3:28 - 3 AM Troll.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Anon 6:08, the 1975 leaflets try to panic people ito thinking Gracedale residents will get no care and will have to be moved back into families ar somewhere else. There was no love expressed for the residents. They just wanted more money.

Bernie O'Hare said...

"those who are concerned about the care of their loved ones, will find no humor in this post."

What you really mean to say is you find no humor. I have no difficulty believing you have no sense of humor, but I find it impossible to believe that you care about Gracedale residents.

Anonymous said...

That was very interesting. Thank you for doing the research.

Bernie O'Hare said...

Thanks for the nice words.

Anonymous said...

You are a funny guy, Bernie. Thanks for the laugh today. You are like The Daily Show of the Lehigh Valley.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:14- even "non-profit" organizations must have a balanced budget or they shut down. Gracedale is costing the county millions and the trends are all downhill. "The future of the county hangs in the balance" is an overdramatic statement. If anything the county's financial future is in the balance if Gracedale is not sold or leased. It is a facility with outdated management and operational methods. Its true survival depends on an experienced private sector owner running it as a business. There is no evidence that county homes that have been privatized has resulted in diminished care or indigent elderly being refused admittance. Referring to Angle and Stoffa as "barbarians" is pure rhetoric. They were elected to serve citizens and their true bosses are the taxpayers. They must do what they feel is in the best interests of residents who are being sufficated by taxes in a bad economy. Especially the elderly homeowners on fixed incomes. Maybe if they are taxed enough they will lose their homes and end up in Gracedale.

Anonymous said...

One post so far today has talked about the really relevant value of Gracedale as a nursing facility for the elderly. The fact that they accept your social security and medicare to cover your time there, GUARANTEED, is what makes them different from other private facilities who are not obligated to do this. To the best of my knowledge, the only other facilities who will keep residents AFTER they have exhausted their own resources to pay their bill are religiously affiliated (I used to work for one). With defined benefit pensions out the window and 401K's uncertain hedges against poverty in old age, facilities like Gracedale will be filled to the gills when boomers become aged. Until we figure out a better way to deal with this problem, facilities like Gracedale are the only promise we can give these folks.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Bernie O'Hare said...

"The fact that they accept your social security and medicare to cover your time there, GUARANTEED, is what makes them different from other private facilities who are not obligated to do this."

This statement is accurate, and that is why any lease or sale must include provisions to ensure they will accept Medicaid patients.

Anonymous said...

Bernie- HE'S BAAAACKKKK!!

Anonymous said...

The recently passed health care reform will take care of all the elderly. Nobody will be forced to the street or even to change doctors. Nobody gets less care. This entire discussion is moot.

Anonymous said...

Tomorrow 3PM at the Gracedale Gazabo the employees that can attend will meet to discuss what they can give up to lower the operating costs. I would go (I don't work there) however I have to work. Maybe Bernie could go and ask why every year in the paper it is reported that 5 of the 10 highest paid county workers are hourly employees at Gracedale. The people suck up 12 hours a day everyday putting their salaries over 100,000 a year. Go and find out Bernie.

Bernie O'Hare said...

I'd love to go, but tomorrow afternoon, I'll be going to a Beth City Council meeting concerning their independent outside audit.

I will definitely note it.

Anonymous said...

bernie ya that meeting is tomorrow at gracedale its done by the union at 3 pm cant be there but im sure it will be a laugh what has the union ever done nothing for me.they help who they want or like.espesialy the president but he get money for what. will see if they can save the home.

Anonymous said...

Anon 10:51, maybe some of them can help get you sentence structure and grammar lessons.

Anonymous said...

FYI...the meeting that was called for at Gracedale Pavillion was not called by the Union but by Concerned Employees as a forum to discuss ways we could help in cost saving efforts and obtain different ideas from different mind sets. It seems there is no compassion for those who reside and work at Gracedale. If your a liability no one wants you...I call that inhumane. Yes there are those that sucked up tens of thousands in overtime money..how were they able to accomplish that...who's job was it to oversee that that didn't happen. Many of us including myself have worked there in excess of twenty years and gross less than thirty thousand per year and I hear those refer to us as UNION PIGS...Please.
Our co-workers give emotionally, mentally and physically daily on the job caring for those who are unable to care for themselves and we do it well....and then we go home and care for our families. The employees care about our facility and we are invested in it. We understand we as well as the economy are facing crisis. Our last contract we made concessions with our benefits because we thought realistically and now again we are faced with making more concessions to save our County Home...Maybe it doesn't seem like worth saving to some but to us it is everything. The fate of many of us lies in the hands of a few....I can only hope that if they proceede with the sale that I am not one of those with a foreclosure notice in my hands. Maybe with open dialog between the Unions, County and Employees we can come up with a solution.

Anonymous said...

I feel for you anon12"04 but when you let Stoffa get elected and this crew of County Councilmen you sealed your fate.

This will hopefully serve as a lesson to other employees. When you ignore elections or think nothing can change that is when it bites you in the ass.

I still remember employees telling me how wonderful and nice Stoffa would be as Executive, how's that working out?

Even Bob Nyce had no intention of dumping Gracedale. Be careful what you wish for guys.

Anonymous said...

Anon 1:15am....I did not vote for Mr Stoffa....however I do agree if more citizens and employees should vote. We saw alot of Mr Reibman when he was County Executive and I honestly can say I don't think I have ever seen Mr Stoffa set foot in Gracedale and talk to the employees...then again why would he when he doesn't seem to care about or fate...

Jeff said...

How can I get records of a patient that was here in 1940. Where did they bury the people that died here?

Bernie O'Hare said...

Hi Jeff, If the person who dies there had no family, he or she would be buried in a small plot the County maintains by the Indian Tower in Nazareth. I do not know if the County maintains records of its residents from 70 years ago,.