Long gone from the fabric of the Nations Capital is St. Vincent's Orpahage. The orphanage was first at Tenth Street, then later moved to Edgewood in 1900. The orphanage and school was operated by the Sisters of Charity.

During World War I, the orphanage housed a group of young women known as "War Workers." These ladies were government employees primarily secretaries and note-takers. Mary Burke was among the young ladies.

The following information is taken from the out-of-print book, St. Vincent's Centennial 1925.

Of her stay at St. Vincent's, Mary says, "..nothing short of Heaven itself, will ever be comparable with the home I had at St.Vincent's." Mary said that just about the only restriction of the stay was when they were to be back at the home at night.

Mary experienced the hard edge of government employment. She explained that the web of regulations often got tangled and repremands tended to fall on the lower employees. She and the other young women were usually rushed to complete projects that were often not well planned by management.

Of course, looking back, this was a time of intense compartmentalization of work efforts by women. Few opportunities for advancement, and fewer accolades were issued to these toilers. In fact, women weren't even allowed to vote in those days. However, the contribution of these women was consistent and exemplary.

Mary tells us of the peace, love and caring of the Sisters at the Orphanage; how evenings were filled with conversation. The orphange was an escape from the madness outside the grounds.

We owe a lot to our servicemen and women and to those who supported our country during hard times. Mary Burke-Thank You!

References:

St. Vincent's Centennial, 1925, Private Printing Forever In Our Hearts, Nita Mondonedo Smith, PublishAmerica, 2005, ISBN# 1-4137-3850-8

Gene Smith is a writer living in West Virginia. He has written many other articles on the web. He lives near Charles Town, West Virginia