Collections : [IUPUI Philanthropic Studies Archives]

Wheeler Mission Ministries is a charitable organization serving the material and spiritual needs of poor individuals and families in Indianapolis, Indiana through Christian evangelism and conversion. Begun in 1893 as a home for unwed mothers by the Meridian Union of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, it was expanded by William Vincent Wheeler later that year to include a Rescue Mission. Coupling its charitable work with programs to develop a sense of self-sufficiency among the poor, Wheeler Mission was among the city's first charitable operations of its kind and continues to serve the needy of Indianapolis. The records, 1904-1992, consist of the administrative files which contain the correspondence and subject files of superintendents Herbert E. Eberhardt and Leonard C. Hunt, financial files, documentation of Wheeler Mission Associated Groups, printed materials, some research materials from the Door of Hope publication, photographs and audio/visual materials.

William Vincent Wheeler, founder of Wheeler Mission Ministries of Indianapolis, Indiana, was born in 1845 in Ohio and in 1853, his family moved to Indiana. After serving in the Civil War, Wheeler moved to Indianapolis where he was employed by Layman-Carey Hardware Company beginning as a delivery driver and eventually becoming head of the sales department. In 1868, Wheeler experienced a religious conversion and became active in the Trinity Methodist Episcopal Church as well as becoming a lay-preacher. In 1893, the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) opened a home for unwed mothers. Wheeler volunteered his help and suggested the range of services offered be broadened to include men, women and children in the form of a rescue mission. He became part-time superintendent of the mission and in 1895, resigned from the hardware company to become a full-time salaried superintendent of the mission, one of the first charitable operations of its kind in Indianapolis. He remained in this position until his death in 1908. The papers consist of correspondence of members of the Wheeler family, family photographs, Wheeler's civil war diary and family history materials.