Our Houses
offering support to the whole family when their child is seriously ill.
offering support to the whole family when their child is seriously ill.
Each month, over 20 illnesses will bring a family to our door, including but not limited to prematurity, cancer, respiratory issues, various surgeries, & emergency care. Once a family is registered with us, they may come and go 24 hours a day as their child’s medical needs dictate and may stay as long as is deemed medically necessary.
Extended family members who can offer support such as grandparents and/or siblings are welcome to stay if an appropriate size room is available. Families are informed that we are grateful to receive a $5.00 per night donation for a room, but if that poses a problem in any way, it is gladly waived, as our goal is to remove, not add, burdens to a family’s shoulders.
Our House has a rich history. It stands on the site of Fort Sanders, where Union General Ambrose Burnside defended Knoxville from Confederate General James Longstreet in 1863.
In 1903, Dr. William Waller Carson, a Confederate veteran and University of Tennessee professor, acquired the land. He built a three-story house with modern amenities like gas, electric lights, and a telephone. Carson used it to house his family and rent rooms to UT students.
By 1943, it served as the Patty Ellen Nursing Home. Later, Benjamin Ogle purchased it, and during WWII, it was subdivided for Oak Ridge Manhattan Project workers. Post-war, it mainly housed UT students, becoming known as the Theater House.
On April 1, 1983, it was bought by Children’s Family House of East Tennessee, Inc., to become a Ronald McDonald House.
By the end of the 1990s we realized the need for additional space was imperative. We purchased a bank building right next door to us allowing us an additional 5 extra bedrooms.
On Valentine’s Day 2000, we opened our second House, giving us the ability to accommodate 15 families or 65 people nightly.
Parents don’t know when their children will need medical help. But they should know they can always access the care they need. And with your help, we can support them all throughout their journey.