Effie Maud Aldrich Morrison

Effie Maud Aldrich Morrison (January 2, 1876 – 1957) originated the concept and instigated the plan of the first senior housing project in the United States. She was a deputy director of the Cumberland County Welfare Board in New Jersey. She received several awards for elderly programs.

Roosevelt Park

WPA old-age bungalow during construction in 1936

Morrison was the deputy director of the Cumberland County Welfare Board in 1932. At this time she came up with a concept for a 'colony for senior citizens.' She initiated a series of contacts to transform the concept into a policy and then into a project and reality. Morrison first conveyed the idea to New Jersey Governor Arthur Harry Moore who in turn passed the concept to Leon Henderson. Henderson (who grew up in Millville) and was an economic advisor in the Roosevelt Administration. Henderson transmitted the idea to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who shared the concept with her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Thence the project was added to the Works Progress Administration as the first senior housing project in the United States. The WPA spent $30,000 to build the 14 houses, and then turned them over to the town of Millville, which had donated land for the venture. Millville agreed to keep the houses in good repair and served as the landlord.

The retirement colony was built on land which had been repossessed by the town of Millville for back taxes, and became known as the "Roosevelt Colony". It was later renamed to the "Roosevelt Park" old age colony, and was sometimes referred to as the Colony for the Aged at Roosevelt Park and Roosevelt Park Colony for Aged. When it opened on October 23, 1936, it became the first senior citizens retirement colony in the United States. The colony consisted of 14 houses, each named after a flower, on lots 100 feet wide by 200 feet deep. The houses were in a large square which had graded streets and sidewalks. There was a central community house for social activities within the project square with a resident colonist as a manager and caretaker. The community house had a fireplace, an assembly room, and game rooms.

Each of the 14 white cottage style houses at Roosevelt Park consisted of a living room, a bedroom and a bathroom. There were seven houses for married people that rented for $7 per month. There were also seven houses designed for single people which were a little smaller and rented for $5 per month. Rent included water and electricity. The houses were designed with the elderly in mind so that housekeeping chores would be minimized, and each came with a vegetable or flower garden. Residents received $15 monthly from the state under the Old Age Assistance Act that had established the "old-age assistance" program in 1932.

Houses in Roosevelt Park

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Awards

• Morrison was a winner of the 'South Jersey Woman of the Year' award for 1951 for work with the elderly.
• Morrison received in 1952 for founding the Roosevelt Park as a retirement community the Cecilia Gaines Holland Award.