The House of the Good Shepherd Faces Foreclosure
A sanctuary for wayward girls and orphans, run by sisters who have struggled for four years, is now on the brink of losing everything to an overdue mortgage.
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.
The home of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, at the corner of Ninth and Jefferson streets, is an institution whose quiet and effective work is not sufficiently appreciated by the public. Its influence is exercised among girls and young women whose wayward steps are checked and turned toward honesty. Founded in Seattle in July 1890 by Mother Superior Mary Nativity Williams, the home has grown to include eight sisters, four novices, and others. Despite struggling bravely for four years, they find themselves on the verge of being turned out by the foreclosure of an overdue mortgage, a result of the general depression. Records show 114 young women have been redeemed from lives of shame, with 37 still in the home. Additionally, the orphanage cares for 53 children. The Mother Superior stated, 'It was a mistake to place the home on this valuable ground. We have paid $3,000 on this property, which may be a total loss. It is hard to think that after pinching ourselves so hard for four years to keep this home going, we should lose it at last.'
“It is hard to think that after pinching ourselves so hard for four years to keep this home going, we should lose it at last.”
The precarious nature of charitable housing in 1894 Seattle echoes the city's current struggles with land values displacing social services. Today, the core of First Hill is defined by medical high-rises, a stark shift from the religious refuges of the late 19th century.
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