Boys Town (organization)

Significant dates
Father Flanagan's Boys' Home
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark


Location	Boys Town, Nebraska
Coordinates	41°15′52″N 96°7′58″W / 41.26444°N 96.13278°W / 41.26444; -96.13278Coordinates: 41°15′52″N 96°7′58″W / 41.26444°N 96.13278°W / 41.26444; -96.13278
Built	1917
Architect	Daly, Leo A., Construction
Architectural style	Tudor Revival, Other
Governing body	Private
NRHP Reference #	85002439
Added to NRHP	February 4, 1985^[1]
Designated NHL	February 4, 1985^[2]

Boys Town, formerly Girls and Boys Town and Father Flanagan's Boys' Home, is a non-profit organization dedicated to caring for its children and families, with national headquarters in the village of Boys Town, Nebraska. The property was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as well as designated a National Historic Landmark on February 4, 1985.

The original Boys Town was founded as a boys' orphanage in December 1917 by Edward J. Flanagan, a Roman Catholic priest working in Omaha. The "City of Little Men" pioneered^[3] development of new juvenile care methods in 20th-century America, emphasizing social preparation as a model for public boys' homes worldwide.

In 1943 Boys Town adopted as its image and logo a picture of a boy carrying a younger boy on his back, captioned "He ain't heavy, mister - he's my brother." They felt it epitomized the importance of their residents caring for each other and having someone care about them.^[4] The saying inspired a song and album by The Hollies.

National locations

Boys Town has grown and now provides care to children and families across the country. It is located in 12 regions across the country: California, Nevada, Texas, Nebraska, Iowa, Louisiana, North Florida, Central Florida, South Florida, Washington, D.C., New York and New England.^[5]

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.

In popular culture

The 1938 movie called Boys Town features actor Spencer Tracy portraying Flanagan. It also starred Mickey Rooney, Henry Hull and Gene Reynolds and its sequel, Men of Boys Town (1941) also featured Tracy and Rooney.
In a sketch from the supporting Rocky and Bullwinkle segment, Mr. Know-It-All, Bullwinkle narrates on how to get rid of an unwanted guest (i.e. Spot the dog). One method is to open the door and "point in the general direction of Boys Town, indicating you wish him to leave."
In the 1980 movie Caddyshack, Al Czervik (Rodney Dangerfield) tells D'Annunzio, the caddy: "You're a funny kid, you know... Hey, what time we due back in Boys Town?"
In the 1987 movie Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Superman takes Lenny Luthor (Lex Luthor's nephew) to Boys Town after he takes Lex back to prison.
In the Simpsons Halloween Episode Treehouse of Horror VII the evil conjoined twin of Bart is called by Dr. Hibbert "Too crazy for Boys Town. Too much of a boy for Crazy Town."

Alumni

Lloyd Bucher, commander of the USS Pueblo, a spy ship captured by North Korea in 1968.
Charles Manson for only 9 months till he ran away in order to look for his mother.^[6]

Notes

↑ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23.
↑ "Father Flanagan's Boys' Home". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
↑ http://www.nebraskalife.com/BoysTownSportsLegacy.asp
↑ "The story behind "He ain't heavy..."". Boys Town. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
↑ http://www.boystown.org/locations retrieved 13 April 2014
↑ Bugliosi, Vincent with Curt Gentry. Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders. W. W. Norton & Company, 2001, ISBN 978-0-393-32223-1, p. 192.

External links

Boys Town official site
Case studies of Boys Town, Mackinac Center for Public Policy
William J Kozersky Stamp Company commercial site with pictures of Boys Town Christmas and Spring Seals by year.
NEBRASKA: Boys Town Bonanza, TIME, Apr. 10, 1972
Education: Rebuilding Boys Town, TIME, Aug. 05, 1974

Landmark cultural venues in Omaha

National Register of Historic Places	Astro Theater Cabanne Archeological Site South Omaha Main Street Historic District Swoboda Bakery Trans-Mississippi Exposition site

National Register of Historic Places and Omaha Landmark	Blackstone Hotel Jewell Building Omaha Public Library (building) Webster Telephone Exchange Building

Omaha Landmark	Gerald R. Ford Birthsite and Gardens Creighton Orpheum Theater

National Historic Landmark	Girls and Boys Town

National Register of Historic Places in Omaha

List	List of Registered Historic Places in Douglas County, Nebraska

NHLs	Girls and Boys Town USS Hazard

Historic districts	Bemis Park Landmark Heritage District Country Club Historic District Drake Court Apartments and the Dartmore Apartments Historic District Field Club Historic District Fort Omaha Gold Coast Historic District Howard Street Apartment District Old Market Omaha Quartermaster Depot Historic District Omaha Rail and Commerce Historic District South Omaha Main Street Historic District Vinton Street Commercial Historic District Warehouses in Omaha MPS

Other properties	Anheuser-Busch Beer Depot Aquila Court Building Astro Theater Bank of Florence Beebe and Runyan Furniture Showroom and Warehouse Bemis Omaha Bag Company Building Blackstone Hotel Bradford-Pettis House Brandeis-Millard House Broomfield Rowhouse Burlington Headquarters Building Burlington Station Center School Columbian School Douglas County Courthouse Dr. Samuel D. Mercer House Charles D. McLaughlin House Edgar Zabriskie House Eggerss-O'Flyng Building Farnam Building First National Bank Building First Unitarian Church of Omaha Flatiron Hotel Ford Hospital Ford Warehouse Fort Omaha Guardhouse Franklin School Gallagher Building Garneau-Kilpatrick House Georgia Row House Gen. George Crook House G.C. Moses Block George A. Joslyn Mansion Gottlieb Storz House George H. Kelly House Guy C. Barton House Havens-Page House Hill Hotel Holy Family Church Hospe Music Warehouse Immaculate Conception Church and School Jewell Building Joel N. Cornish House J.L. Brandeis and Sons Store Building Keeline Building Kirschbraun and Sons Creamery, Inc. Kennedy Building Leone, Florentine and Carpathia Apartment Buildings Lincoln Highway Livestock Exchange Building Lizzie Robinson House Malcolm X Housesite Mary Rogers Kimball House Mason School Military Road Segment Monmouth Park School Nash Block Normandie Apartments North Presbyterian Church Notre Dame Academy and Convent Old People's Home Omaha Bolt, Nut and Screw Building Omaha Ford Motor Company Assembly Plant Omaha High School Omaha Public Library Omaha National Bank Building Omaha Star building Orpheum Theater Packer's National Bank Building Park School Poppleton Block Porter-Thomsen House Prague Hotel Redick Tower Rose Realty-Securities Building Rosewater School Sacred Heart Catholic Church Complex Saddle Creek Underpass Sanford Hotel Saunders School Simon Brothers Company South Omaha Bridge Christian Specht Building Site of St. Mary's Academy St. Cecilia Cathedral St. Joseph Parish Complex St. Regis Apartments St. John's A.M.E. Church St. Martin of Tours Episcopal Church St. Matthias' Episcopal Church St. Philomena's Cathedral and Rectory Standard Oil Company Building of Nebraska Steiner Rowhouse No. 1 Steiner Rowhouse No. 2 Strehlow Terrace Swoboda Bakery The Berkeley Apartments The Melrose The Sherman Trinity Cathedral Union Station USS Marlin Vinton School Weber Mill Webster Telephone Exchange Building West Lawn Mausoleum

Formerly listed	Jobbers Canyon Historic District

Archdiocese of Omaha

Ordinaries	Bishops James O'Connor Richard Scannell Jeremiah James Harty Joseph Francis Rummel Archbishops James Hugh Ryan Gerald Thomas Bergan Daniel E. Sheehan Elden Francis Curtiss George Joseph Lucas

Auxiliary Bishops	Daniel E. Sheehan Anthony Michael Milone

Churches	Cathedral St. Cecilia Cathedral Parishes St. Anthony's Church, Cedar Rapids St. Leonard Church, Madison Holy Family Church, Omaha Immaculate Conception Church, Omaha Sacred Heart Church, Omaha St. Frances Cabrini Church, Omaha St. John's Church, Omaha St. Joseph Church, Omaha St. Bonaventure Church, Raeville

Education	Higher Education Creighton University College of Saint Mary High Schools Archbishop Bergan High School, Fremont Cedar Catholic High School, Hartington Central Catholic High School, West Point Creighton Preparatory School, Omaha Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School, Bellevue Duchesne Academy, Omaha Holy Family High School, Lindsay Marian High School, Omaha Mercy High School, Omaha Mount Michael Benedictine Abbey and High School, Omaha Norfolk Catholic High School, Norfolk Pope John XXIII Central Catholic High School, Elgin Roncalli Catholic High School, Omaha St. Francis High School, Humphrey St. Mary's High School, O'Neill St. Peter Claver Cristo Rey Catholic High School, Omaha Scotus Central Catholic High School, Columbus V. J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School, Omaha

Priests	Blase J. Cupich William Joseph Dendinger Edward J. Flanagan Joseph G. Hanefeldt Edward Joseph Hunkeler Patrick Aloysius Alphonsus McGovern John Linus Paschang

Other	Boys Town Notre Dame Academy and Convent

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