Tressler Lutheran Services
It all began in the rolling hills of Perry County, Pennsylvania. Tressler Lutheran
Services came into being in 1868 when the Lutheran Church purchased a private academy
and home serving children orphaned during the Civil War.
Over the following decades, the Tressler Orphans Home served hundreds of children
annually, growing into a community known as “Tresslertown” and becoming
famous for its boys band, which toured Pennsylvania, Maryland, and surrounding states.
With enrollment declining in the mid-1950s, the Tressler
board of directors made the difficult decision to close the home. It immediately set
about finding other ways to serve children and their families. Efforts included
development of a small group home and adoption services.
In 1970, Tressler and Lutheran Social Services-Central Penn Region realized they
could serve more people by working cooperatively. That alliance formed Tressler Lutheran
Services. Over the next three decades, the agency grew markedly, creating services to
aid people of all ages in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Delaware. On January 1, 2000,
Tressler Lutheran Services affiliated with
Lutheran Services Northeast to create Diakon Lutheran Social Ministries.
• • •
As part of its 125th anniversary celebration in 1994, Tressler Lutheran Services
professionally recorded a march that had been written decades earlier for the home's
boys band (see the image above). You can hear the march by clicking one of the links
below:
“Tressler Orphans Home March” (MP3 file)
“Tressler Orphans Home March” (WAV file)
About Us |
Fast Facts |
Our Name |
Directions |
Code of Conduct |
Administration |
Boards
Office of Development |
Partner Synods |
LSA |
Dialog Newsletter |
History |
Audit (PDF) |
Annual Report (PDF)