Boys Town was founded on December 12, 1917, as an orphanage for boys. Originally known as "The City of Little Men", the organization was founded by Edward J. Flanagan, a Roman Catholic priest, while working in Omaha, Nebraska, who rented a home at 25th and Dodge Streets, in Omaha, to care for five boys, using a loan of $90. From humble beginnings, the City of Little Men pioneered and developed new juvenile care methods in 20th-century America, emphasizing social preparation as a model for public boys' homes worldwide."
In 2015, a former supervisor at a Boys Town group treatment home was convicted of having sex with a minor, aged 17. The offender, a 32-year-old woman, was sentenced to five years’ probation, subject to various terms and conditions, and the conviction was affirmed by the Supreme Court of Nebraska.
Facilities
The national headquarters of Boys Town is in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and was designated as a National Historic Landmark, on February 4, 1985. Facilities include the Hall of History, dedicated to the history of Boys Town; the restored home of Father Flanagan; the Dowd Memorial Chapel and the Chambers Protestant Chapel; and the Leon Myers Stamp Center. The latter provides historical stamp-collecting exhibits and sells donated stamps to provide support for Boys Town programs. It has a summer camp onWest Lake Okoboji, located near West Okoboji, Iowa.
Hospitals and clinics
In 1977, Boys Town founded and continues to operate the Boys Town National Research Hospital, located at 555 N. 30th Street, in Omaha. Its sister hospital, Boys Town National Research Hospital – West, is operated on the Boys Town campus. The NPO also operates several medical clinics in Nebraska, and one in Iowa.
Boys Town has grown over the years, providing care to children and families across the country. There are nine sites across the United States, in Central Florida, North Florida, South Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska, Iowa, New England, Nevada, and Washington, D.C.
In popular culture
The movie called Boys Town featured actor Spencer Tracy portraying Flanagan. It also starred Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull and Gene Reynolds, and its sequel, Men of Boys Town also featured Tracy and Rooney.
The Boys Town Visitors Center has the world's largest ball of stamps, measuring the 32 inches in diameter, consisting of 4,655,000 stamps, and weighing 600 pounds.
