Across from Boyden Library in Foxboro, just steps away from the town common, at the corner of Bird Street and Baker Street sits an historic, white building known as Doolittle Home.

Today, Doolittle Home operates as a non-profit organization organized under section 501 (c) 3 of the IRS code. Doolittle Home provides gracious retirement living for both men and women residents under a unique life care arrangement. As a public charity, the Home is non-denominational. Residents of all faiths are welcomed, but preference is given to those of Universalist persuasion under the terms of Sarah Doolittle’s gift. This has never prevented an interested party from entering the Home.

A Brief History of Doolittle Home

Few gifts have appreciated in value as much as one given by Sarah Doolittle. Active in the Foxboro Universalist Church, where she served as superintendent of the Sunday School, Sarah attended a statewide Universalist Convention in Beverly in 1913.

The major item on the agenda was a discussion of the needs to create a home that could provide "adequate care for the elderly, particularly those of the Universalist persuasion."

Since the death of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Allen Doolittle, Sarah had been living alone in the sprawling family homestead at the corner of Bird and Baker Streets, and had considered moving to more appropriate quarters. Her father had worked at the Union Straw Works during his lifetime and had used the large home to take in boarders - young women who worked at the factory.

Described as a kind and gentle woman, Sarah was moved by the appeal of the Universalist Convention, and made a decision: she would donate her home to facilitate providing suitable care for the elderly. While Sarah herself would receive an annuity from the Universalist Convention in her lifetime, the full assets of her former homestead would, from that moment forward, remain permanently pledged to the realization of her wish to provide for the elderly.

The Dream Becomes Reality

Rev. Dr. Charles Conklin was president of the Universalist Convention the year Sarah made her gift to the church. He also headed the Universalist Society in Foxboro, in addition to serving a large church in Brookline. It fell to him to turn Sarah’s gift into the reality of caring for the elderly.

The house donated by Sarah had been a private residence, so substantial renovations were in order. Throughout 1914, trustees of the Universalist Convention were very busy. Numerous private rooms with common baths were constructed in the main portion of the building, and an infirmary was built in the former barn. Plumbing was changed, steam heat and a porch added, and soon, the building was completed and a separate corporation would be formed to carry out the new mission of caring for the elderly.

The Doolittle Universalist Home for Aged Persons was incorporated March 1, 1915, and soon, the first residents to benefit from a new standard of "adequate care" were comfortably settled into their rooms.

Expansion Plan

Simultaneously, an effort was started to raise funds to eventually expand the facility. The Home became a "mission" project for many Universalist churches, offering physical as well as financial support to the operation of the facility. Each year, Donation Days were held, when Universalists and others from throughout the region would visit the home, donating money and material goods, and maintaining support for the work of the mission of the facility.

The Board of Trustees voted to replace the huge barn with a three-story structure that would mirror the original part of the homestead, and provide additional rooms for residents. They would connect the two sections of the building with a sunroom and dining room. A large kitchen was installed in the basement.

The expanded Doolittle Home was opened for visitors in January 1932, and several hundred people toured the facility. At their first meeting in the new home, the Board of Trustees noted that the expansion had been accomplished for $37,000, considerably less than the original estimates, and had been paid in cash from the building fund.

In those early days, residents attended to light housekeeping duties and worked in the kitchen preparing meals or canning vegetables for use in the winter. The profits from selling needlework done by the ladies paid for a daily newspaper, tuning the piano, and using the taxi for trips in the area, leaving a balance of $110 in the bank. Men living in the home helped with maintenance and were often engaged in the basement workshop, building birdhouses for the yard.

More Expansion

While any sprawling wood-frame complex needs constant attention, it would be 30 years before the Trustees felt a need for further expansion. In 1963, using the same spade used for the ground breaking for the 1932 renovations, ground was broken for the addition of a single-story annex to the complex.

The wing would provide facilities for a nursing unit that would accommodate nine Level III residents while the main house accommodated 24 Level IV residents. The new wing was designed around a nursing station that would provide medical coverage 24 hours per day.

The wing was named for Louise L. Sailer whose donations to the building project exceeded $144,000.

The next expansion took place outside, as the corner lot which once housed the Inman & Kimball Hat Factory was cleared for what is now called God’s Half Acre, a private park for residents of the Home. The sculptured walkways, benches, picnic area and selective plantings provide a sanctuary for quiet reflection or a leisurely stroll.

Plans Unveiled

It wasn’t until 1995 when Doolittle Home was preparing to celebrate its 80th anniversary that plans were made for yet another major project. The focus was to provide a full compliment of nursing services for residents while bringing the entire nine-bed unit into full compliance with continually changing state and federal regulations. The end product was a true state-of-the-art facility providing residents and their families the assurance of the highest possible level of nursing care, comfort and support.

The construction was launched with a ceremonial groundbreaking by the Board of Trustees and, once again, the original shovel used to break ground for the 1932 expansion was pressed into service. In addition to work on the Sailer Wing, other modernization projects were undertaken throughout the house at a cost of $1.5 million.

Doolittle Home Today

While still giving admissions preference to persons of the Universalist (and now Unitarian Universalist) faith as provided in the terms of Sarah’s gift, the Doolittle Home for Aged Persons reorganized in 1976 as a public charity with no religious affiliation, changing its name to The Doolittle Home, Inc. The facility is non-sectarian and welcomes persons of all faiths. The Doolittle Home, Inc. is chartered as a 501 c(3) public charity under the laws of the Commonwealth.

Residency is limited to persons age 65 and over who are physically capable of residing in the residential care unit of the home.

Though the building and grounds have been updated and expanded several times throughout the history of the Doolittle Home, the facility is considered very small by industry standards. With a current total licensed census of 33 individuals, Doolittle Home has the ability to house 24 residents in the main house and 9 on the newly renovated Sailer Wing. The dedicated staff of approximately 40 employees affords a very high staff to resident ratio, catering to each resident’s individual needs in an elegant and intimate setting.

As with the building, services have also expanded and been updated to meet the needs of a current population whose needs have changed markedly over time. An occasional fan was sufficient for cooling years ago. Now air conditioning is available at every level. There was a time when residents gathered around a single television in the sun parlor but now there is a set in every room. Some of the newer residents today require hookups for computers and Doolittle Home has kept pace with the changing needs.

The licensed nursing staff is accessible to all residents on a 24-hour per day, 7 days per week basis. The Medical Director is available whenever needed. To assure each resident’s total care, Doolittle Home has contracted with several other health care professionals such as a podiatrist, optometrist, dentist, dietitian, social worker, pharmacist, and physical, occupational and speech therapists. This group of skilled consultants is on call to assist with any of the residents’ health needs, whether it be in their rooms or on the nursing unit.

The activity program at Doolittle Home is extensive. Residents enjoy trips to nearby restaurants and points of interest in the Home’s own van. The Activities Director schedules many group activities such as bowling, musical programs, poetry readings, parties and exercise classes at the Home.

All residents are welcome to attend chapel services which are held weekly in the sunroom. Local clergy members rotate coverage of these non-denominational services with the goal of assuring that each resident has an opportunity to worship with a pastor of their own denomination during the course of the year. The visiting clergy members not only conduct services; they act as a friendly visitor and spiritual counselor to all.

Even with a busy activity schedule, many residents find time for their own diversions. Several residents of the home enjoy painting and quilting classes sponsored by outside groups, and more and more residents are maintaining automobiles while living at the Home.

All meals are expertly prepared and served by experienced dietary staffers in the formal dining room. This elegant atmosphere enhances the dining experience and creates a social setting which is enjoyed by all. Residents always have a choice available at each meal, and dietary preferences and restrictions are incorporated in the menu planning by a registered dietitian. Tray service is also available for those residents on the nursing unit who may need this extra assistance, however, every effort is made to include nursing unit residents in the dining room meals for the social benefits to the resident.

Today, residents are not required to do housekeeping, laundry, or maintenance, as was the practice in the early years. A full-time staff is on hand daily to perform these tasks. Several members are charged with keeping the house neat and tidy and assisting each resident in maintaining their rooms and clothing in an orderly manner.

Sarah Doolittle would have been proud to see her concept of "adequate care" blossom into the "exceptional care" that has become synonymous with her name. The Doolittle Home is now considered one of the premier retirement communities in the area and is currently the only licensed Life Care home in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

In March 2004, inspectors from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health did an operating license inspection of Doolittle Home. While 20 - 40 deficiencies is considered normal for a facility, the inspectors finished their comprehensive two-day inspection and issued a "zero deficiencies" report for Doolittle Home. The inspectors stated this was the first time they had personally inspected a zero deficiency facility. Doolittle Home staff and trustees are proud of this finding.

Doolittle Home has come a long way since its humble beginnings yet throughout its history there has been a constant, and that is the commitment to what some call Sarah’s Legacy. Others call it home.