The "Rock House"

Edgewood Children's Center was founded in 1834 by the
St. Louis Association of Ladies for the Relief of Orphan Children, to give relief to increasing numbers of abandoned and homeless children left parentless by sweeping cholera epidemics and westward expansion. Edgewood continues today to care for the St. Louis Metropolitan area's neediest children and to set the standard after which other agencies model their programs.

Changing the name from St. Louis Protestant Orphan's Asylum to Edgewood Children's Center in 1944, this agency has successfully bridged the transition from the care of homeless children to meeting the needs of emotionally disturbed children.

Located in the center of the 23-acre campus in Webster Groves (St. Louis County), is the Rock House, pictured above (circa 2000), and at right (circa 1890). This designated National Historic Landmark serves as a symbol of the tradition of child welfare, past and present.

Edgewood's past is closely associated with segments of American history - westward expansion, Mississippi River, secondary education, Abolitionist Movement, Civil War, the "underground railroad," and philanthropic activities of St. Louis' founding and leading families.

The Rock House at Edgewood has its own special history. It was constructed in 1850 by the Reverend Artemus Bullard, a brother-in-law of famous preacher, Henry Ward Beecher, and through this family was connected to abolitionist writer Harriet Beecher Stowe (Uncle Tom's Cabin).

This photo taken on the east side of the Rock House in 1900, has an inscription on the back which reads "policing the grounds for Sunday visitors".

Reverend Bullard successfully operated a seminary for young men in the Rock House until his untimely death in a train wreck in 1855. It is known that Reverend Bullard was a strong abolitionist, and is believed that he used the Rock House as a way station in the Underground Railroad, helping to move slaves into safety in the north. Some excavations at Edgewood have yielded evidence that a tunnel existed under the Rock House. No definitive proof exists however.

Another unique "rumor" surrounding the Rock House is its haunting. Shortly after the turn of the century, there was a devastating fire that gutted the building. One child is known to have perished. Today there are many who claim that they have seen the ghost of this little girl, and have named her Rachel. She seems to be friendly. As recently as a few years ago an Edgewood employee, working late in the Rock House, was standing in the first floor central corridor and heard footsteps coming from the other end. They passed him and continued to the opposite end of the corridor, where they were heard to climb up a staircase that does not exist anymore.

The Rock House and surrounding 23 acres were purchased in 1869 by the board of the St. Louis Protestant Orphan's Asylum (Edgewood Children's Center), because they wanted to move the children out of the city and away from the influence of disease and poverty.

St. Louis Protestant Orphan's Asylum (the agency name was changed to Edgewood Children’s Center in 1944), children on an outing to Rockwood Reservation. The year was 1942.

A 1955 merger with the Forest Park Children's Center reflected changes in the nature of the children referred to Edgewood; children causing disruptions in home and school, children needing more treatment-oriented programs, children displaying signs of emotional disturbance. A 1978 merger with The Girls' (Industrial) Home brought adolescent girls to the campus. In 1998 Edgewood acquired the former Childhaven agency, expanding its special education commitment to include communication disorders and autism. As always, the programs were adapted to meet the children's needs, guided by the professionalism, sensitivity and foresight of a staff dedicated to their nurturance, safety, progress, health and success.

Today, the offices of Edgewood's administrators are housed in the Rock House. The lovely exterior was not damaged in the fire of 1910, and the edifice itself retains its original beauty and historic charm.

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