Danridge’s Burgundi Manor was founded in 1959 by Ruth Danridge, a licensed practical nurse at a city hospital, on the first floor of the their family home on Glenwood Avenue in Youngstown, Ohio.   Ruth wanted to give elderly African Americans a better option for long-term care than the Mahoning County Nursing Home on Kirk Road or receiving poor care at home.

Ruth’s daughter, JoAnn Blunt of Youngstown recalls that by the end of 1959, it was necessary for the family to move to the second floor of their home to make way for the business. “At the time, African Americans were denied access to private nursing homes,” said Blunt, a registered nurse.

Blunt, along with her late husband, Julius, and daughter, Leigh Greene-Colvin of Youngstown, a licensed social worker, operated the nursing home after Mrs. Danridge’s passing.   In a previous Vindicator story, Greene-Colvin said of her grandmother, “She ventured out in an area that no African American person was doing at the time. That took a lot of courage.”

Danridge’s Burgundi Manor grew and in 1968 was moved into the former Fox Funeral Home building on Oak Hill Avenue.  In January 1999, a brand new 62 bed facility was built on Maranatha Drive in Youngstown.  The Danridge’s Family core and the foundation for the current Danridge’s Burgundi Manor was built on Psalm 23.  It is now owned and operated by Hillstone Healthcare who appreciates its history and tradition while providing present day quality care.
“Surely goodness and mercy is following us all the days of our lives.”