The facilities of Stonehill Franciscan Services can be traced all the way back to 1878 when the Franciscan Sisters were invited to open an orphanage in Dubuque. In addition to orphans, the home was designed to accommodate a limited number of elderly adults. As the number of older residents increased over the years, members of the community recognized the need for a dedicated home for the aged.
In 1901 Archbishop John J. Keane authorized the construction of a home for the elderly and many parishes in the Dubuque area contributed funds, which were used to purchase a building site at the corner of Davis and Windsor. Construction began in late 1903. Over the years, the St. Francis Home for the Aged and Retired served as residence for thousands of elderly residents throughout the region.
By the early 1970s, the home was beginning to show its age and compliance with various regulations was becoming increasingly costly and difficult. A local benefactor helped to solve the problem by offering to chair a capital campaign if the Sisters would agree to provide the land and administer the new facility. Thus, Stonehill Care Center was opened in July 1978 as a 250-bed full-service nursing home at its present location.
In 1990, the Stonehill Adult Day Care Center was opened to meet the growing need in the community for high-quality services for the elderly and caregivers. Eight years later, the Stonehill Board and Planning Committee announced the addition of Assisi Village, a independent living facility, which opened to nearly full occupancy in 1999.
Today the entire Stonehill Franciscan Services facility serves as a valuable cornerstone resource to the entire community of Dubuque and surrounding areas, with services provided to many thousands of people each year.
