About Us
Our History
The property that Glen Oaks now occupies was once a private farm. This farm of 120 acres with the farmhouse and other buildings had been in the Henry B. Hagen family name for 90 years, but in 1965 it was donated to the St. Joseph County community college district to be used as the central campus of Glen Oaks Community College in order to educate the county’s young people.
The original family homestead was a log cabin located north and east of the present home and near a small stream. If one were to walk east of the present home to the east property line, there is a lane that runs north and which used to be the road to the original homestead.
In 1887, Henry Hagen and his wife, Johanna, chose the stunning present site for their family’s new home. Every view from the present site is beautiful. There are rolling hills, woods, ponds and gardens that surround the property. It is certainly one of the most scenic home sites in the county and well-chosen by Nora’s parents.
May God’s blessing rest on all who pass this way.
Nora C. Hagen
These words are taken from the dedication plaque which commemorates the generous gift of the family farm by Nora Caroline Hagen. This gift included the large, frame family home which was built in 1887 by Nora’s father, Henry B. Hagen. It was in this home that Nora Hagen was born in 1894. Nora, her sister Louise and her sister’s husband Stephen Fry purchased the house from the family heirs in 1929 following the death of Nora’s mother, Johanna. Nora lived in the home until 1982, when she left to reside at the Fairview Medical Care Facility in Centreville.
