Alton Woman’s Home Association continues legacy of giving

In 2025, local reenactor Debbie Maneke portrayed Bertha Yoxall during Vintage Voices at the Alton Cemetery. Vintage Voices takes place the first two weekends in October, sharing stories of notable persons from our past. (Photo by Pete Basola)

Alton Woman’s Home Association (AWHA) has been helping women and children in Madison
County since the organization was founded in 1897. Their commitment to the community remains ardent; in 2025 more than $213,000 was distributed to 20 area agencies.
AWHA began with the purpose of providing women in need a home where they could live out their final years. The first residence was the former Dolbee Mansion, located on the bluffs where
Riverview Park stands today. In 1909, residents moved to the newly built Alton Woman’s Home at 2224 State Street. The Home provided women a caring residence until it closed in 1966, after
Medicare, Social Security and pension support for individuals lead to a decline in admissions.
Community gifts and funds from the sale of the State Street property were wisely invested, allowing the organization to continue their legacy of giving. AWHA has also been the grateful recipient of several planned gifts, among them the William and Bertha Yoxall Trusts, which have aided 18 organizations over the past 60 years. Although the trusts have recently concluded, the generosity of the Yoxalls will long be remembered.
In the 1980s, AWHA established a grant process to provide charitable organizations with funds to offer food, shelter, clothing, social services and programing to area women and children. In 2025,nearly 30,000 people benefitted from the efforts begun by a small group of women 129 years ago.