KelLee Parr - Mansion on a Hill

Copyright 2018 KelLee Parr

All rights reserved.

Printed in USA

For all the young women and their babies who spent time at The Willows

Acknowledgments

My family was shaped from the moment my birth grandmother entered The Willows Maternity Sanitarium and when my grandparents traveled to Kansas City to adopt my mother to be a part of their family. I truly appreciate the dedication and tireless work the Haworth family gave to help young women, such as my grandmother, in their difficult time of need. My hope is that this book will help shed some light into the well-hidden role The Willows and other facilities played in the molding of a part of American history kept secret from society.

I wish to thank Carol Haworth Price for her constant support as I strove to learn more about The Willows. The documents, photos and stories Carol provided gave great insight into her familys role in aiding the lives of so many young women and their babies. She helped complete the puzzle of the place of my mothers birth.

Thank you, Margaret Heisserer, for editing and providing friendship and support. I want to thank Rachelle Mengarelli, Sheri Gabbert, LeAnn Harmon, Mark Anselment, and Abel Frederic, who read my drafts and gave valuable feedback, excellent critiques and suggestions for telling The Willows story. Trista Bieberle once again did an outstanding job creating the cover. Thanks for putting up with all the changes. Debby Williams, thank you for the help with graphics.

I would like to express a special thank you to Skip Keller for colorizing the photo for the cover. Thank you to Denise Morrison and the Kansas City Museum and Union Station Archives for the photos of the Union Station.

Finally, I want to acknowledge those who shared your Voices of The Willows stories. Linda, Esther, Sue, Carol, Anita, Phil, Jill, Dyan, Nancy and Danielle, thank you for bringing the book to life with your touching stories. I hope what you have shared will encourage others in their searches. A few names have been changed to provide anonymity for certain characters and their families.

As we know, not all reunions turn out to be as positive as the ones shared in this book. And not everyone even has the desire to search, which is perfectly okay. It is my wish that these stories will encourage others still searching not to give up hope. To those who are still trying to decide if they should search, know that finding the answers to the who and why can be healing.

Mansion on a Hill

The Story of The Willows Maternity Sanitarium

and the Adoption Hub of America

Forward

Leona was a strong woman who was no stranger to difficult times and hard work during her ninety-six years of life. However, the hardest thing she ever had to do was when at the young age of seventeen she gave away her baby girl, who was born on Valentines Day in 1925. This same baby Leona gave up for adoption longed to find her birth mother her entire life. She always wondered if her mother lived in a mansion on a hill. Little did she know she herself was born in a mansion on a hill. Leona and her babys story is just one of thousands of tales of unwed girls who went to Kansas City to The Willows Maternity Sanitarium between the years of 1905 and 1969 to hide from societys brutal scrutiny, deliver their babies to be given up for adoption and return home to live with their secret the rest of their lives.

I became interested in learning more about The Willows after discovering that my mother was born there. My grandparents went by train to Kansas City to adopt her and bring her home to be part of their family. Though I found the The Willows no longer existed, I wanted to find out about the history of the place of my mothers birth and the people who ran it. My search began at the Kansas City Public Library. The library had a photo of The Willows taken in 1909 and an inch-thick file of documents. I learned that my mother was just one of thousands born there. An Internet search led me to others who were born at The Willows, seeking information about their biological mothers.

As I began working on this book and finding more answers, I was amazed at how few people had knowledge of The Willows and the impact Kansas City had on adoptions in the early to mid-1900s. Part One of Mansion on a Hill shares the remarkable history of The Willows and the Haworth family who owned and operated it. It also tells the story of how Kansas City earned the distinction of being the Adoption Hub of America.

In my research, I have had the privilege of meeting some wonderful people whose lives have been touched in some way by The Willows. Part Two The Voices of the Willows shares their stories.

I hope you enjoy learning about this well-kept secret in American history.

Part One

The Willows Maternity Sanitarium

While society looked the other way, facilities were established all across America in the first half of the 20th century to help embarrassed and disgraced young, pregnant, unwed women resolve their difficult situations. These women were often whisked away and hidden from society to cover up the transgressions, saving face for the young women and their families. Several months later they returned home. The physical pain and trauma may have subsided, however the emotional wounds never healed.

Kansas City, Missouri, had the distinction of being one of the largest centers for these facilities. This is the story of one of such facilities, perhaps the largest maternity home in the United States, for unwed mothers. The women traveled to Kansas City from all over the country, were kept in seclusion, delivered and gave their babies up for adoption, and then returned home to try to start a new life. The experience was never to be spoken of again. This is the story of The Willows Maternity Sanitarium and the family that owned and operated it, beginning in 1905 until its closing in 1969.

Chapter 1