The Humble Origins of an Orphanage in Kitsap County
Rev. I. Tollefsen shares his vision for the Martha and Mary’s Orphans’ Home, established on eight acres of land in the wilderness of Dogfish Bay.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Very few people are aware that at Poulsbo, Kitsap county, there has been established an orphans' home and a school that bid fair to become nuclei of great institutions. The work was inaugurated and has been carried on by Rev. I. Tollefsen, pastor of the First Norwegian Lutheran church at Tacoma. Land for the orphans' home was secured in 1890; eight acres were donated, and forty acres of improved land were bought for $2,000. It is situated at the head of Dogfish Bay, Kitsap county, Washington. The home opened on May 30, 1891, with eight children, and by May 30, 1892, it had twenty-five inmates. Besides these, we had to refuse admission to a large number of applicants on account of not having room. The children have behaved well and improved very much both mentally and bodily. Our rural resort has proved a health resort to many of the feeble children from the cities. The Orphans' home and the proposed high school are personal undertakings under the auspices of the United Norwegian Lutheran church of America.
“I trust in the Lord only for the support of this charitable undertaking. He uses us, who are willing, only as instruments in His almighty hands to care for the helpless little ones.”
The Martha and Mary organization remains a fixture in the region today, though it shifted its focus from children to senior care and health services. It is a striking example of the 19th-century 'charity institution' model that laid the groundwork for modern Pacific Northwest social services.
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