After the Soldiers’ National Orphanage Homestead lost it’s first headmistress in 1869, there was some concern on who would take over the duties of the children. Doctor John Bourns from Philadelphia, who was the one that found the family from the photograph of the three children that he sent to the newspapers, was in charge of finding the next headmistress. His next pick in the end was the furthest away from what the attitude and atmosphere of Philinda towards children.
The next headmistress was that of Rosa Carmichael. Little is known about her history and what she did before and after her time in Gettysburg. She was in charge of the Orphanage between 1869 and 1877. During those eight years, orphans and children that were living here or nearby were bullied, harassed, mistreated, abused, and possibly even killed. Here are some of the rumors that swirled around the Orphanage during those years:
- 1873 – Rumors swirled of Rosa mistreating and abusing children. The theory and knowledge that was pasted down had Rosa pick out a few of the older boys, and they were “in charge” of punishing the children under Rosa’s direction.
- Memorial Day 1874 & 1875: Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) investigated the children’s absence from the parade. Prior headmistress Philinda allowed children to be in the parade, and then place flowers at the soldiers’ grave. Rosa lied until the investigation was over. She then continued to abuse the children.
- Christmas Eve 1875: Two men at a local tavern heard a boy screaming for help. They went to go investigate and found a four-year old boy that was locked in the outhouse wearing only a long nightshirt.
- 1876: George Lunden, an orphan, told local residents including the police that Rosa was assaulting and hitting children. She was charged with assault and battery charges and arrested with cruelty to the orphans. She was convicted and charge and was found guilty. Her punishment — $20 with additional court fees. (2026 dollar amount would be around six hundred dollars)
After being committed and paid the fine, what did Rosa do? She went back to being the headmistress at the Orphanage for almost another two years and probably starting to abusive the children even more.
- Water boarding, chaining children up to the walls, locking them in the rooms or the outhouse outside. Flogging them with sticks, and being abused by the older children with bats and sticks.
The final straw was probably about the absence of the children again at the Memorial Parade in 1876. The newspapers of the Gettysburg Star and Sentinels along with the paper in Philadelphia mentioned the abuse and the battering of orphans in June 1877. In December 1877, the orphanage was finally closed forever.