On September 23, 1911, Rev. Dan W. Hopkins proposed the establishment of a conference orphanage. The proposal was accepted unanimously. The home was opened for the reception of children on February 1, 1913, and incorporated under the laws of Illinois.

The first location of the home was at Creal Springs, IL. On February 18, 1920, one of the main buildings was destroyed by fire, and a decision was made to relocate.

The Orphan's & Children's Home of the Southern Illinois Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church was relocated to its present location in Mt. Vernon, IL from Creal Springs, IL in October of 1921. The Jefferson County location chosen consisted of 25 acres of land and a large two story home known as the Tanner House. The structure was built in 1866 and at the time of relocation housed all of the children and the superintendent.

Historical documents reveal that the property was purchased for $12,000 and that the Mt. Vernon Chamber of Commerce donated $5,000 of the purchase cost, Dr. Earl Green and Judge W. H. Green donated $1,000 and the remaining $6,000 was contributed by the church Conference.

In 1923 a dormitory was built providing ward type sleeping arrangements. During the 1920's and 1930's, many of the children served were orphans. By the 1950's and 1960's both the youth in residence and the facilities changed as society changed. The reduction in the number of true orphans was the most significant difference in the children referred for care. In their place, an even more tragic type of referral, became prevalent treatment for young victims of physical and sexual abuse and neglect. Housing was constructed to provide "family" type living to replace the institution setting. The 1970's and 1980's brought new concepts that emphasized the need for teaching social skills and appropriate actions administered by family teachers and assistants.

With the introduction of federal assistance into the child welfare system in the early 1990’s, the focus moved from family teaching to a mental health treatment perspective. While the child welfare system reached all time high case load numbers in the mid 1990’s, the late 1990’s saw the beginning of a drastic reduction in the number of children in care throughout the State of Illinois. UMCH responded to this trend by focusing more programming toward community needs to fulfill our mission.

In 1996 the United Methodist Children’s Home Foundation was formed to both oversee the endowment fund and assist with fund raising to supplement the Home’s revenue. A capital campaign was undertaken by the Foundation in 1998 for a two phase building project. Phase one consisting of an activity room which also served as a Chapel and office space was completed in 1999. The William H. Dennison Chapel Complex, phase two, was completed in 2003 providing a beautiful Chapel and a versatile conference room.

UMCH has continued to address the needs of children, youth and families in our communities in Southern Illinois. During the Fiscal Year of 2006, services were provided to 254 individuals and 70 families through 8 different programs.