Delaware City Council voted during Monday’s meeting to approve the city’s latest honorary street dedication signage, which will see Union Street be designated as Sarah Moore Way moving forward.
The honorary street designation will span the northeast corner of East William Street and Union Street to the southeast corner of Union Street and East Winter Street.
Sarah Moore’s legacy of care and kindness has long served as a pillar in the Delaware community. In 1892, Moore served as an original board member of a group seeking to create a home for Delaware’s elderly. In need of more space, Moore secured a 99-year lease to the property at 47 E. William St. under the lone stipulation that the home will always be used to serve the elderly.
After Moore passed in 1916, the home was left to the Home for the Aged of Delaware County, along with $30,000 to be put into a building fund for future upgrades. The house was rebuilt in 1923 to include 32 beds, and the name of the home was officially changed to the Sarah Moore Home.
Today, Sarah Moore’s vision continues to play out in the Delaware community through the Ohio Living Sarah Moore senior living facility located at 26 N. Union St. Ohio Living Sarah Moore cares for around 85 people at maximum capacity and employs nearly 100 employees.
City Manager Tom Homan said he and Mayor Carolyn Riggle attended a dedication at the Sarah Moore Home prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, and at that time, suggestions were made about perhaps recognizing the contributions Sarah Moore made in the community with an honorary street designation.
Aric Arnett, the executive director of Ohio Living Sarah Moore, said of the street dedication, “Generations have come to Sarah Moore for care and services, so it would be a great honor to see that legacy honored by the city with an honorary street. “
Arnett added, “Sarah Moore has been pretty influential in the community and had a vision 130 years ago when she said we need to take care of the folks who maybe need some care in the later parts of their lives.”
Council members voted unanimously to approve the street dedication; Vice Mayor Kent Shafer and Councilwoman Lisa Keller were not present during the meeting.
Following the vote, Homan mentioned to council that another street dedication proposal will be coming before them in the near future regarding former Ohio Wesleyan President Arthur Flemming, who also served as the United States secretary of health, education, and welfare during Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration.
Recent honorary street recognition signage approved by council include Elmer W.B. Curry and Rutherford B. Hayes in 2019 and for the Little Brown Jug in 2020.
