The Hands Who Shaped the Home, Part 1

The history of the Union Printers Home is a story not just of beautiful buildings and grounds, of the International Typographical Union, of printing and graphic design, or of medical care. At its heart, it is a story of people – of the thousands and thousands whose lives were touched by their time living in, working for, or visiting the Home.

From its earliest days, through its massive growth and eventual decline, some of the key players in keeping the Home running were the superintendents and matrons who served as the liaisons to the Board of Trustees, the supervisors of the Home staff, and the administrators, social workers, and activities directors all in one. They were typically husband and wife pairs who lived on the property (first in special apartments in the Castle and later in the Superintendent’s Cottage, which was featured in our last newsletter), often with their families. What follows is Part One of a brief introduction to some of these incredibly hard workers who devoted their lives – some for a few months, others for a few decades – the Union Printers Home.

John D. Vaughan
(1892)

John David Vaughan (1842 – 1900) was the first superintendent of the Home, serving in the first few months after the Home’s dedication to help establish its systems and procedures; he was also on the original Board of Trustees. A printer from a very young age, Vaughan became a highly influential and well-loved member of the International Typographical Union until his death I Denver in 1900. He also served in the US Navy during the Civil War.

The Schumans
(1892 – 1896)

Walter C. (1861 – 1944) and Eva M. Miller (1862 – 1945) Schuman were the first to serve as superintendent and matron in a more permanent capacity after Mr. Vaughan. The Schumans were originally from Illinois, and had been married only a year when they began their stint at the Home in 1892. They served for the first four years of the Home’s operation, after which they moved to Denver, where Mr. Schuman continued working on various newspapers until his retirement in 1929.

The Clarks
(1896 – 1898)

Charles E. (1861 – ?) and Agnes E. Savage (1874 – 1946) Clark worked at the Home for only two years, from 1896 – 1898. Mr. Clark was born and raised in Ohio, where he learned the printing trade and joined the Columbus Typographical Union. He moved to Omaha, Nebraska, in 1890, where he met Agnes Savage; the two were married in 1891 and had a daughter, Mary, the following year. Mary would have been a young child during the Clarks’ time at the Home. In 1898, the family left the Union Printers Home and moved to Washington, D.C., where Mr. Clark worked in the government printing office.

Deacons
(1898– 1913)

Charles (1866 – 1934) and Margaret “Maggie” Gillen (1866 – 1920) Deacon were the first superintendent and matron pair to stay at the Home for more than a decade. Mr. Deacon was born in Indiana and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he learned the printing trade and began his apprenticeship. He moved to Chicago in 1886 to finish his apprenticeship and officially enter the trade. It was there that he met Maggie Gillen, and the two married in 1888. They had two children together – Henrietta and Proctor – before moving to the Home in 1898, when Henrietta was about 9 years old and Proctor was only about a year. The Deacons oversaw the first period of major growth to the Home, particularly the building of the Superintendent’s Cottage, the Library Addition to the Castle building, the Pavilion, and the tuberculosis tents. They also began hosting regular musical and theatrical performances for the residents, a tradition which continued at the Home long past their tenure. Henrietta and Proctor both often participated in these performances, with Henrietta singing and Proctor playing piano. Proctor went on to become a professional concert pianist when he grew up!

The Deacons were very well-liked at the Home, and Mr. Deacon was described as an “honest, faithful, and conscientious worker” and a “courteous, pleasant fellow.” Their departure from the Home in 1913 due to Mrs. Deacon’s failing health was met with much sadness. After leaving the Home, the family moved to California for a while, where they ran a café, and then to Chicago, where Mrs. Deacon passed away in 1920. Mr. Deacon worked in sales of printing equipment in Chicago and re-married Clara Humphries five years after Maggie’s death.

The Daleys
(1913 – 1928)

John C. (1868 – 1935) and Marie Riley (1872 – 1931) Daley came to the Home after the Deacons’ departure in 1913, and remained in the roles for 15 years. Mr. Daley was born and raised in Syracuse, New York, where he became a printer and worked on various Syracuse newspapers, as well as joined and became president of the Syracuse Typographical Union. He met and married Marie Riley in 1896, and together they had a daughter, Cecilia, born in 1899.

During the Deacons’ tenure at the Home, they oversaw some of the most significant work on the Castle building – including the 1913, 1916, 1923, and 1926 additions. As with the Deacons, the Daleys were well-liked and respected by the residents of the Home. Mrs. Deacon, in particular, was described as “estimable” and “friendly,” and there are letters from patients there who describe her visits every evening to the patients confined to the hospital, cheering up those who were feeling down and bringing extra fruit and other snacks to lift their spirits. Cecilia, who was only about 14 years old when her family moved to the Home, got to grow up among the residents of the Home, all of whom were invited to attend her wedding reception on the UPH property in 1923.

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