History

“Hundraårsjubileum” 1904 to 2004
A century of faithful service to seniors – A future of continued excellence

Parmly Senior Housing & Services celebrated its 100th anniversary during 2004. The Swedish word we have chosen to describe this event literally means "hundred year celebration."

Since the very beginning, God has guided the history of Parmly Senior Housing & Services. With all of the twists and turn of events that have occurred during our first 100 years, Parmly has remained steadfast to its spiritual tradition origins within the Swedish Lutheran Churches of the Chisago Lakes area.

In the Scandinavian countries, the church established social missions tending for those unable to take care of themselves such as orphans, the sick and the elderly. When the Swedish immigrants arrived in Minnesota, their churches that took on the same role.

In October, 1902 at the annual convention of the Minnesota Conference of the Augustana Lutheran Churches in New London, Minnesota, a committee was formed to investigate the possibility of an old peoples’ home at the suggestion of Dr. Carl A. Hultkrans, Superintendent of Bethesda Hospital since:

“Many members of our churches were approaching the evening
of their life after a long day of toil and labor and were longing
for a peaceful close of their day.”

When it didn’t work out to build at the chosen location on Como Avenue in St. Paul, Dr. Hultkrans met with the Chisago District pastors to ask for their support to build old peoples’ home on a tract of land along the shores of Green Lake in Chisago City.

Our history officially began on May 1904 at the annual conference when it was announced that ten area churches of the Chisago District would purchase 23 acres of land at a price of $2,500. This historic decision created the first home of its kind within the Minnesota Conference.

Dedication ceremonies were held on November 10, 1904. Coffee was served and the ladies of the local congregations were asked to bring food. They were also asked to leave the dishes behind for use by the Home. The establishment of our mission began our long-standing tradition of respectful, responsive service to seniors.

In November 1904, Martha Mattson accepted the position of the first matron of the Old Peoples’ Home. Her only provision was that her children could also come with her as assistants.

On January 1, 1932 at the age of 70 and having served for 27 years, Martha became a resident of the Home herself and turned over the responsibilities of matron to Sister Eleanora Slattengren. She died at the Old Peoples’ Home on August 7, 1932. Sister Eleanora served as Matron for 28 years and retired in 1954.

Parmly was a working farm. On November 11, 1918, John Carlson was hired as the one and only farm manager until the farming operation ceased in December, 1964. The farm with its animals and crops supplied the food needed for the residents including meat, eggs, vegetables and milk. Acreage was added over the years to increase the farm's food production to enable the home to be self-sufficient.

Parmly also has a long-standing history of dedicated employees. The “Willing Workers” became the name of the faithful women who were employed at the Home and devoted their lives to caring for the elderly.

“The Girls” as they were lovingly called lived in a house on the grounds, which was connected to the Home by a tunnel, and were on call 24 hours a day to assist with food preparation and serving, laundry and housekeeping. These early workers were: Esther Reinholdt who began her employment in 1918; Elsie Christopherson in 1920; Isabelle Lindgren and Nina Reinholdt in 1921 and Phyllis Lindquist in 1926.

The hand of God stepped in again when Margaret S. Parmly included the Chisago Lutheran Home for the Aged in her estate. This decision was based on her desire to help the elderly in the Midwest because she valued their Scandinavian work ethic.

In early 1969, her daughter, Ruth, called a Lutheran friend at the Board of Social Ministry in New York to find out if he knew of a church owned home that was in great need. The first suggestion was that the money be given to the Queen Louise Home for Children on the Island of St. Croix in the Virgin Islands. Ruth rejected his suggestion in favor of the Chisago Lutheran Home.

In December 1970, Mrs. Evelyn Ofelt, Administrator, received the unexpected letter that the Home was the recipient of approximately $1,000,000 from her estate. The gift was an tremendous blessing for the Home which at the request of the Department of Health had just completed a $55,000 remodeling project to eliminate some of the fire hazards of the old two-story building.

With people living longer and requiring different levels of services to meet their needs as they age in addition to skilled nursing care, Parmly responded by adding:

November 1977 - South Chisago County Meals on Wheels May 1, 1981 - Parmly Lakeview Apartments October 1984 - Adult Day Care Services July 26, 1985 - Point Pleasant Heights Apartments & Townhomes January 24, 2000 - Margaret's House August 1, 2002 - Vindauga View Assisted Living Apartments

Our partnership that began with 10 founding churches still extends to the broader community in the Chisago Lakes area with many individuals and organizations volunteering their time and talents to enrich the lives of the seniors we serve.

Today, 100 years later, we continue the concern and commitment of caring for our elderly into our second century of service. As our name implies, Parmly is a campus of programs designed to provide and meet the ever-changing needs of seniors. By bringing people—needy elderly and workers—together, a community, essentially a family, is formed. Our partnership that began with 10 founding churches still extends to the broader community in the Chisago Lakes area with many individuals and organizations volunteering their time and talents to join us in enriching the lives of those we serve.