Girls and Boys Town

Infobox_nrhp | name =Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
nrhp_type = nhl


caption = Lake view of "Girls and Boys Town"
location= Boys Town, NE
area =
built =1917
architect= Daly, Leo A., Construction
architecture= Tudor Revival, Other
designated= February 04, 1985cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1906&ResourceType=District
title=Father Flanagan's Boys' Home|accessdate=2008-06-27|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service]
added = February 4, 1985
governing_body = Private
refnum=85002439 cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]

Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization dedicated to the care of at-risk children, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska. The property was listed as a National Historic Landmark on February 4, 1985.

The original Boys Town was founded as a boys orphanage in 1921 by Edward J. Flanagan, a Roman Catholic priest working in Omaha. The "City of Little Men" pioneered development of new juvenile care methods in 20th century America, emphasizing social preparation as a model for public boys' homes worldwide.

Facilities

Beginning in 2004, preservation projects were started to improve interior wood trim, install a new climate control system, and restore the front porch brick railing, the rear interior of the house, the wood flooring, and the front rooms.

In popular culture

* Notable alumni of Boys Town include Navy Commander Lloyd Bucher, commander of the "USS Pueblo", a spy ship captured by North Korea in 1968.
* A 1938 movie called "Boys Town" features actor Spencer Tracy portraying Flanagan. It also starred Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull and Gene Reynolds.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.boystown.org/ Boys Town official site]
* [http://www.mackinac.org/article.aspx?ID=1338 Case studies of Boys Town, Mackinac Center for Public Policy]
* [http://www.kozersky.com/ William J Kozersky Stamp Company] commercial site with pictures of Boys Town Christmas and Spring Seals by year.