Furlough House
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Drawing room in Paris Furlough House. Humann is at the piano.
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Grace Gale Humann found a unique way to support the war effort. She converted her chateau in Bellevue, a suburb of Paris, France, into the Furlough House, a retreat for American Soldiers on leave in Paris. To raise funds for Furlough House, Humman traveled to St. Louis several times and gave lectures to women’s organizations and church groups in which she described her experiences in war torn France.
In her presentations, Humann provided details on German air raids, inflation and the rationing of gas, coal, electricity and sugar. She also discussed the horrors of war experienced by her as a volunteer at a French hospital. Humann also shared how her husband, Charles Lucien Humann, a French businessman had been wounded three times while serving in the French Army.
When America joined the Allies and entered the War, Humann was determined to support the American troops. In an interview with a Saint Louis newspaper, Humann stated that “ This isn’t to be simply an officers mess… any man wearing a United States Uniform will be welcome in my home…I want them to have the best time possible while they are on furloughs.”
Humann supervised Furlough House and used the donations from her St. Louis friends and the support of the YMCA to buy food. The Women’s Division of the City Club in Decatur, IL was her most reliable supporter. They pledged to give the Furlough House monthly donations. Over time, these pledges grew and peaked at $100.00 a month.
The pictures shown below give ample testimony to the comforts enjoyed by the soldiers at Furlough House. In addition to providing delicious home cooked meals, soldiers were able to relax in a beautiful garden equipped with easy chairs, cushions, and lots of reading materials from America. Humann and her staff entertained the soldiers by telling stories and playing the piano. She also provided evening French classes.
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Under the plum trees in the back Garden. The woman near the fence is Humann’s assistant.
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Corner of front garden. Soldiers are having lunch under the syringas with Humann and her assistant.
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Letters of appreciation
The soldiers were so appreciative of Humann’s hospitality, they wrote letters to their hometown newspapers describing their experiences at Furlough House. Private James R. Gilmour of the 14th Company Second Regiment, Motor Mechanics Aviation Corps wrote the following to the Saint Louis Post Dispatch “I want to express a little of my company’s appreciation for what she is doing for us daily…Mme Humman’s chocolate pudding, ham and eggs, chipped potatoes, potato salad and fresh fruits, and then there is piano and plenty of home music from St. Louis.”
First Sergeant Marco Anthony Ranzoo of Kansas City wrote a letter to his mom that was later published in a local newspaper describing his time at Furlough House in which “a dozen boys, several from Kansas City were entertained with music, food and a luxurious afternoon in the syringas-shades lawn under big umbrellas with magazines and pillows for their pleasure and comfort.”
For more information on the Furlough House, see the Grace Gale Scrapbook at the Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center. The scrapbook contains newspaper clippings about Humann's service to the soldiers, and the talks she gave in St. Louis to help raise money for her services. It also includes photographs of soldiers at her home in Paris, and her passport and visa.
Sources
Grace Gale Scrapbook (1917-1918), Missouri History Museum Library and Research Center mohistory.org.Clark, Ida Clyde, American Women and WWI New York: D. Appleton & Company (1918). Accessible online at http://net.lib.byu.edu/estu/wwi/comment/Clarke/Clarke00TC.htm#contents
