OPRS acquired the Sarah Moore Home in Delaware.

On March 10, 1892, a small group of women came together to discuss a home for the aged people of Delaware, Ohio. They appointed Mrs. Elmer Hill as the Board president, and by July her husband offered the Board a house on Franklin Street rent-free for three months, with the option to lease the building for five years if things went well. Three women moved into the new home and gave $1 per week toward their room and board.    26 North Union Street

            The house on Franklin Street quickly proved to be too small, so the Board began looking for a larger building. Mrs. Sarah Moore, one of the original Board members, suggested renting a property from her husband. Mr. Moore gave them a 99-year lease on a house on East William Street, with the option to buy at any time. His only requirement was that the property always be used as a home for the aged people of Delaware. The ladies moved into their new home in July 1901.

            When Mrs. Sarah Moore passed away in 1916, she left the property and $30,000 to build a new home. By 1921, the building fund had grown to $75,000 and the Board was able to expand the property to 32 beds.

            As the community continued to grow, a new building was needed to serve as a nursing home. The community’s first capital campaign allowed them to build a 25,000 square foot building at 26 North Union Street, connected to the original property on East William Street by a hall and courtyard. The new nursing home was completed in 1999 and named the Sarah Moore Health Care Center. With this expansion, the admission policy was revised to allow men to live in Sarah Moore for the first time.

            Groundbreaking for the Suites at Sarah Moore, an assisted living addition, was held in October 2007.

            In 2012, Sarah Moore’s Board of Governors recognized the need to partner with a larger organization, and began researching non-profit organizations whose values and mission aligned with theirs. They were welcomed into the OPRS family of communities on August 1, 2014.

square (1)        MORE PHOTOS