A legacy of giving
When Jane Holmes, one of Pittsburgh's earliest philanthropists, learned of a worthy need that aroused her sympathies, she acted quickly to help.
According to histories of the city and organizations she befriended, she made charity her life's work. She bequeathed over $300,000 in her will, and donated well over $1 million during her lifetime -- a princely sum in her era.
Holmes, born in Ireland, was 2 years old when she arrived in Pittsburgh with her parents in 1807. She inherited her wealth from her father, Nathaniel, founder of the private banking house of N. Holmes and Sons and owner of the Gilmore Exchange Brokerage House in Pittsburgh.
She had four brothers, David, William, Nathaniel II and John and a sister, Mary.
The 1880 census indicates Holmes lived with her brother William, who was also recognized for his philanthropy and acts of charity, as were John and Nathaniel II. According to accounts, she was close to William, and they often spent long, pleasant hours together planning where their gifts should be bestowed.
Holmes was known as "Lady Bountiful" among Pittsburgh residents, especially on Penn Avenue where she lived. Because of her benevolent reputation and sympathetic disposition, needy people called on her daily. For example, in 1880, a young girl dying from tuberculosis without friends or shelter appealed to her and Holmes became her friend, arranging for care until the girl died.
Saddened by the lack of compassion and care for chronically ill people without family and friends, Holmes envisioned a home for those with incurable diseases. By 1883, she turned her family's summer home on 16 acres on Butler Street in Lawrenceville into "The Protestant Home for Incurables."
Records show the land, at the time, was valued at $100,000 and the building at $65,000; she also provided an endowment of $95,000. In 1885, the large, thoroughly equipped building, which listed annual expenses of $15,000, was operated by a board of 16 women with an advisory board of six men.
The name was later changed to "Holmes House." After operating for nearly 100 years, Holmes House and its patients were absorbed by Forbes Health System and moved to the system's facility in 1982.
An 1888 history, "Allegheny County's hundred years" by George H. Thurston, lists 52 benevolent organizations in Pittsburgh and Allegheny (North Side), "not to mention the societies connected with the various churches, the result of fifty years' work. The records ... show they are chiefly the work of the women of the county. They have been the result of small contributions, of the unpleasant work of soliciting donations, of fairs and concerts and frequently of the generous sums of yearly contributions and large special donations."
Holmes was one of those women.
The Pittsburgh and Allegheny Home for the Friendless was organized in 1861 by women members of the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Relief Society and the Rev. Dr. William Howard of Allegheny's Second Presbyterian Church. Holmes helped the organization build a new home in 1885, covering $60,000 of the $75,000 cost.
"Pittsburgh was suffering the growing pains of the industrial age," wrote George Swetnam, writer and historian, "with no rules by which to treat (people's) needs."
The Pittsburgh and Allegheny Orphan Asylum, established in 1832, was the first orphanage in Allegheny County. It later was known as the Protestant Orphans Asylum.
With an 1885 bequest from Holmes, the Protestant Home for Boys was established on Anderson Street on the North Side to provide a home for working boys between the ages of 14 and 21 years as well as boys who were strangers to the city. It later became the Protestant Home for Children.
In 1969, the Pittsburgh and Allegheny Orphan Asylum merged with the Protestant Home for Children, and later was named Pressley Ridge. By the late 1990s, Pressley Ridge was providing services to more than 1,500 children and their families in six states. Pressley Ridge and the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh established the Pittsburgh International Children and Family Institute, which handled the growing requests for consultation and training from the international community.
The Colored Orphan Asylum of Allegheny County, organized in 1880 by an association of women, also was maintained by contributions that included a generous bequest from Holmes, records show.
THREE JANES
Holmes had two cousins, both also named Jane Holmes, who were prominent women in Pittsburgh during the 1800s. Wealthy and charitable, they sometimes worked together and were distinguished as "young Jane," "Pittsburgh Jane" and "Baltimore Jane."
In 1881, Holmes learned that an aged couple were being parted because homes to care for them were open only to women. She called a meeting and within one week, organizers were working to secure a charter, draft bylaws and execute other legal requirements for what became The Home for Aged Protestants.
Records show that in 1953, the home began to receive single or widowed women in addition to men and couples. It was then rechartered as The Jane Holmes Residence and Gardens.
Also in 1881, "Baltimore Jane," known by her city of birth, purchased a tract of five acres and a large three-story building known as "The Sheltering Arms" for wayward girls. She gave it to her cousin, "Pittsburgh Jane."
LEGACY CONTINUES
Sheltering Arms became the Jane Holmes Residence and Gardens, an assisted living facility on Swissvale Avenue near Edgewood, has been enlarged and remodeled several times. In the early years, "they produced a vegetable garden and canned food," said Marie A. Timpano, the executive director.
In fact, records from 1899 show that "340 quarts of tomatoes had been put up, as well as chili, huckleberries, crab apple jelly ... and sufficient potatoes raised for winter's supply." Today, residents continue to garden in raised gardens that have been cultivated for their ease.
Some residents from the local community have had a long connection to the home.
Dorothy Donovan, 97, a resident at the home, lived across the street and played on the home's expansive lawns as a toddler. Staff members also have long tenure.
"Throughout the home's history, there has been a volunteer, all-woman, board of managers," said Virginia Schatz, a board member.
There are 14 women serving on the board, Timpano added.
"They are all very dedicated, active, very interested. Someone told me my gardener was doing such a great job," Timpano said, repeating her response: "That's not a gardener, that's the president of the board."
Linda Brown, who gave up a part-time teaching job to become board president, first became involved when her mother-in-law moved into the home.
"She was a very independent lady, but she loved the small, home-like atmosphere," she said. "The environment is different, and has architecture worth keeping."
The original Italianate structure has a spacious second floor porch, flower gardens and patios. About 30 people live in the home that is licensed for 50 residents.
OTHER CHARITIES
Records show that Holmes was a "major figure" in the organization of The Home for Colored Children, which changed its name to Termon Avenue Home in 1950 and later merged with the Girls' Service Club.
The home was founded in 1880 by the Rev. Fulton of the Allegheny Fourth United Presbyterian Church, after he discovered a 4-year-old orphaned African-American girl walking in the rain around the North Side area. Seeking shelter, she could find no help.
After a home was found for her, Fulton and a group of friends began planning a facility for African-American orphans. Holmes helped organize the home and her estate "provided the seed money to build the orphanage," said Peggy B. Harris, the chief executive officer.
Today, it is known as Three Rivers Youth, located in Allegheny and Washington counties, is one of the region's leading agencies providing services to at risk youth and families through a comprehensive, integrated spectrum of educational, residential and in-house programs. Records show that in 2003, the year of its 125th anniversary, the organization served more than 3,700 individuals.
Last year, Three Rivers Youth served more than 3,300 individuals.
An 1886 bequest from Holmes also provided seed money for the Western PA Humane Society. In addition to investigating abuse to animals, the society then also investigated reports of child abuse and abuse to the aged.
Today, its mission is the prevention of cruelty to animals. The agency carries out its objectives through investigations and prosecutions, education of both children and adults and training for dogs. It also offers temporary shelter, nurturing and behavioral training for animals in its care, as well as veterinary services, placement counseling and development of literature about pet care. The society also has a pet loss support group and an active volunteer corps.
Pittsburg Hospital for Children, now Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, grew from a children's organization known as the "Shadyside Cot Club." After its incorporation in 1887, an endowment from Holmes' estate supported and enabled the hospital to open a new building in 1890.
Today, it is the only free-standing hospital in western Pennsylvania dedicated solely to care of infants, children and young adults.
Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children was founded by money bequeathed in 1885 by Holmes and individuals who felt that blind children needed educational and vocational opportunities. The group built a permanent home for their school in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh for the purpose of establishing an institution for the blind on land donated by Mary E. Schenley.
"Jane Holmes' portrait hangs in our boardroom along with that of her brother, Nathaniel," said Jillian Georges, community relations and development associate.
Today, some students enrolled there have other severe disabilities in addition to blindness, so the educational program is tailored to their needs. In 2003, the school opened its new Early Childhood Center, a unique facility for working with young people with visual impairments.
Holmes and her brother, William, also bequeathed $40,000 for the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Edgewood. Steeped in tradition, yet on the cutting edge of technology, the Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf has provided tuition-free educational services for deaf and hard of hearing students since 1869.
The school is the largest comprehension center for the education of the deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state with approximately 200 students who come from 100 school districts and 30 counties.
In 1873, Homeopathic Hospital and Pittsburg Free Dispensary -- now Shadyside Hospital -- was organized. It was outgrowth of a dispensary conducted by members of St. Andrew Episcopal Church. Holmes donated $15,000 for a new building and after her death, left a legacy of $10,000 more.
Because of their contributions, Holmes and her brothers, William and John, were designated "Life Member" and "Life Managers" of The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, which was incorporated in 1848 as Pittsburgh's first chartered public hospital. The facility has had a rich history in leadership and innovation in medicine -- expanding its services and enhancing its technological capabilities to provide high-quality care for patients, educate health care professionals and conduct research.
Since her death, Holmes has been remembered for her generosity.
A memorial plaque hung in the main entrance of the old Protestant Home for the Incurables read, "In Memory of Jane Holmes, Founder of this Home For Incurables. That the condition of the needy and suffering should be made better, she devoted her life and her substance."
