History of the Village

The Village began its ministry as the "Old Folks Home" in Smithboro, Illinois, in 1908. In 1915, the building burned and the residents moved to rented quarters at Greenville, then, later to Litchfield and Lebanon. In 1918, the residents were moved to a home in St. Francisville where it continued until 1926, at which time a three-story building was completed in Lawrenceville on a five-acre tract of land donated by the Lawrenceville Chamber of Commerce. Wings were added to the building in 1953, and the building, including the wings, is now known as Holden Center. Because of the pressing need for nursing care, Wesley Center was built in 1967, and Dycus Center in 1974. A 28-bed Alzheimer Unit was completed in 1990. In 1991, the Village Playhouse was opened to assist employees adn the community with daycaer needs.

In order to meet the demand for independent living, the Village has built or acquired a number of apartments, cottages and houses called Southern Meadows. In 1994, the Village added McKiou Center (now called Southern Meadows Estates), an independent living apartment complex.

The United Methodist Village purchased the Lawrenceville Manor, 2101 James Street, Lawrenceville, Illinois on March 1, 2004 and changed the name to The United Methodist Village North Campus in 2006. The North Campus is a 123 bed Skilled Nursing Facility. In the early part of 2009, the North Campus added a chapel onto it's south side so its residents would be able to attend services.