Horton House, November 2012, by Butterworth, Lee, courtesy of Lee Butterworth.
Details
Horton House, in Toowoomba, was a children's home run by the Salvation Army. It opened in 1963 and in 1976 the extended complex was renamed Horton Village.
Former residents of Horton House gave evidence to the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions in 1998-1999. Some remembered being easily identifiable as 'Home kids' when they attended school, because girls from Horton House wore box-pleated tunics and white blouses, rather than the regulation school uniform (p.85).
During the 1960s the trend towards providing care for children in smaller cottages had commenced. In 1965, work began on erecting two cottage units on the land that incorporated Horton House. By August of 1969 three cottages stood on the site: Alford House, Hocking House and Ray Powell Cottage.
The Salvation Army's Horton Village Policy & Procedure Manual describes the use of Horton House from 1966 onwards.
When the children were moved to the cottages in 1966 a small group of elderly ladies, some of which had disabilities, were accommodated in the original Horton House. The living situation proved unsuitable for them and therefore ceased to function.
In 1972, accommodation in Horton House was given over to 8 young women who were attending a sheltered workshop for intellectually disabled persons.
In 1976 the whole complex became known as Horton Village.
1942 - 1947 James Horton Memorial Home
1947 - 1953 James Horton Industrial School for Girls
1953 - 1954 James Horton Memorial Home for Girls
1954 - 1963 James Horton School for Girls
1963 - 1976 Horton House
1976 - 1985 Horton Village
Sources used to compile this entry: Burley, Lacey, 'Horton Village helps the disabled', Chronicle, 31 March 2009, http://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/horton-village-helps-disabled-build-skills/199129/; Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions, Report of the Commission of Inquiry into Abuse of Children in Queensland Institutions, Queensland. Department of Families, Youth and Community Care, Brisbane, 1999; Department of Families, Missing pieces: information to assist former residents of children's institutions to access records, State of Queensland, 2001. pp.52-53.; Horton Village History sheet, copied from the Horton Village Policy and Procedure Manual and given to Lee Butterworth on 23 October 2012.
Prepared by: Lee Butterworth
Created: 14 June 2011, Last modified: 17 March 2015