HISTORY
The facilities and services of The Welty Home for the Aged, Inc. were made possible through the charitable donation of Clara and Bertha Welty. The Welty sisters left the bulk of their estate to create a trust that would support the care and housing of aged people.
Clara Welty, the last surviving member of a Wheeling merchant’s family, used the fortune she inherited to support worthy causes, especially the Catholic Church. She cared deeply about the poor and provided direct assistance to many families in South Wheeling during and after the Great Depression. Her generosity was so profound that it earned the notice of the Vatican; in 1949, Pope Pius XII bestowed the Papal Medal on Miss Welty.
In 1950, she donated her family home as a place to provide care for elderly individuals in a Christian, charitable and benevolent manner. Since then, the Welty Trust has funded the construction or renovation of six residential facilities, all located in the same pretty Wheeling neighborhood, to provide quality housing and health care for people over 65.
The Clara Welty Apartments and Bertha Welty Apartments offer spacious, attractive one- and two- bedroom apartments for adults. Welty-TownHomes offer single-story courtyard homes with two-car garages and two porches per unit. The Braddock Apartments, located within the Good Shepherd campus, are independent living residences for couples and singles. Many whose husband or wife needs nursing home care live in the Braddock Apartments so they can easily spend time with their spouses. The Welty Home LC, next door to the Clara Welty Apartments, offers assisted living services, and Good Shepherd Nursing Home LC, one-half mile away, provides intermediate and skilled nursing care.
Our Benefactors
Clara and Bertha Welty
Today, as a result of Miss Welty’s generosity, the people of our area have access to
- 94 independent retirement living apartments in the Clara Welty and Bertha Welty Apartment complexes
- 52 private assisted living suites in the Welty Home
- 54 private and 69 semi-private rooms in Good Shepherd for people who need skilled care
- 15 independent apartments within the Good Shepherd campus in Braddock Apartments
- 12 single-story apartments within Welty TownHomes
Since 1950, Miss Welty’s original donation of $2.9 million, carefully managed by the Welty Corporation trustees, has funded $47 million worth of construction and renovation at the Welty Home, Good Shepherd, The Clara Welty Apartments, The Bertha Welty Apartments, Braddock Apartments and Welty TownHomes.
Over the years, the Welty Corporation has housed and cared for more than 5,000 individuals. The corporation today employs 309 people and contributes $29.8 million annually to the local economy.