One November 6, 2025, The Lutheran Home Association celebrated 127 years of holistic caring.
The year was 1860 and many families were excitedly carving out new lives for themselves in the Belle Plaine Settlement. Amongst them was the Boessling Family—Christian, Sophie, and son Ernst. Strong Christians, they eagerly sought to make their lives and farm prosper.
But the events of the Civil War would chart a different course. Its fury was profoundly felt in the families who experienced casualties, including the Boesslings, whose 15 year-old son lied about his age and volunteered to serve with the Minnesota troops. Ernst, now 17 died alone and was buried on the battlefield at Vicksburg, Mississippi. Back in Belle Plaine, brokenhearted parents erected a memorial marker on the family’s cemetery plot.
Years passed, Sophie had become a widow and was alone. Her resolve to give new meaning to young Ernst death grew into an idea—one that would glorify God.
“Poor houses” and “work farms” in the area were harsh and unforgiving places. Folks needed a place where they felt safe, where the needs of both body and soul could be met. A committed Sophie donated her land, buildings, and estate so that such a home would become a reality. Encouraged by her pastor at Trinity Lutheran, the church, other congregations and individuals rallied to her cause so that the Waisen and Altenheim—the orphans’ and aged home began in July of 1898.
God blessed the intense effort, and on November 6, 1898, The Lutheran Home opened its doors. Sophie had lived to see God bring her dream to reality. She died suddenly two days after The Home opened.
Happy 127th Birthday to The Lutheran Home Association!
