A small but seemingly intrigued crowd gathered at the Warren County Historical Society last Thursday to hear the story of one of the area’s most notable and coveted landmarks.After an exhaustive journey through the history of the Emmaus Homes, which originated in Marthasville, Cathie Schoppenhorst has been presenting her findings around the community. She displays photos, provides a thorough account and answers questions about the home that has served as a haven for those with physical and mental challenges for over a century.“Cathie always does a wonderful job when we have her come and give a program,” said Historical Society Vice President Angie Hilbert. “It was very informative.”The Emmaus Homes began as a place for people with epilepsy to go and receive treatment during a time when many of these individuals would be misunderstood or ignored by society. As the years progressed, patients with other disabilities began to reside there. Ernst Wheeler was an Emmaus client for 71 years, serving as the church bellringer at the chapel.“There are so many aspects about Emmaus,” reflected Schoppenhorst. “They made do with so little staff. Everybody was on call 24/7.”Those in attendance were especially fascinated by the depth of the records kept by the Emmaus Homes, including a plethora of photos of the progression of buildings and clients who resided there.“I loved seeing the picture of Fritz, because I remember seeing him when I would go down there, on the bridge, stacking his little stones,” said Linda Stude.The efforts to log and journal every detail of the day-to-day operations at Emmaus Homes turned out to be advantageous during the research process. Many of the same records would not be permissible today under patient privacy laws, but Schoppenhorst says at that time such rules did not apply.“There are documents and books that date back to the 1700s,” said Schoppenhorst. “They had even thought about doing a museum a couple of times.”Schoppenhorst, who has already given presentations in Marthasville and Washington, anticipates delivering another message in St. Charles County, which also houses part of the Emmaus organization.

Local historian Cathie Schoppenhorst presented the story of the Emmaus Homes, which originated in Marthasville, at the Warren County Historical Society last Thursday. A dozen visitors were in attendance to hear the Emmaus Homes Heritage Project, an endeavor Schoppenhorst has been working on for about a year-and-a-half.

Record photo/Derrick Forsythe