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Care has been provided for orphaned children for thousands of years, in one form or another. As far back as the 4th century BCE, Greek philosopher Plato declared that "orphans should be placed under the care of public guardians." Since then, care has been transferred to religious institutions, private philanthropic organizations, back to publicly-funded government bodies, and everywhere in between.
Some of the first orphanages as we know them today were opened in ancient Rome, around 400 CE. Before these institutions opened, it was common practice for unwanted children to be abandoned and subjected to "exposure," usually leading to death. Once this practice was outlawed around 374 CE, children were either sold as slaves or turned in at orphanages, usually to be sold later on.
Since 1739, the history of orphanages has remained controversial, to say the least. During the first half of the 20th century, universities in the United States would rent children for long periods of time from local orphanages to use as props in their domestic economics or "mothercraft" classes.
While the Foundling Hospital's principal goal was the well-being of abandoned children, the institution focused much more on the physical health of its little residents, and proper education or emotional care was almost non-existent.
By the Middle Ages in Europe, most Christian institutions had taken on the burden of care for unwanted children, or "foundlings." Most convents and monasteries were equipped with "baby boxes" where parents could anonymously place their infants in the care of the Church.
The first proper orphanage, the Foundling Hospital was built by English philanthropist Thomas Coram (pictured) in 1739, and is considered one of the world's first fully charitable institutions.
These "practice babies" would be raised by a rotating team of around a dozen students, all taking turns practicing the various tenets of motherhood. What at the time seemed like a win-win situation for both the students and the infants actually led to a generation of children with debilitating emotional detachment. Studies showed that children raised in universities were deprived of the early eye contact necessary for emotional development, and were never able to form a strong bond with any one person after being passed around by so many cold and calculating arms as children.
At Cornell University, all of these children were legally given the last name "Domecon," short for "domestic economics." While there were once tons of these Domecon children spread across the country, very few of them were aware of their early childhood in the hands of university students before they were sent back to orphanages or extended family and spent their lives wondering where their detachment came from.
The advent of private orphanages spelled lucrative opportunity for many scheming entrepreneurs. Around the world, from North America to Europe and Asia, for-profit orphanages collected children from destitute families, kept them in horrid conditions in order to garner sympathy and donations, all before selling the children off to the highest bidders.
While some of the sketchy stories from the early days of orphanages came from well-meaning ignorance and not from genuine ill will, other stories are tales of horrifying exploitation.
Many early orphanages immediately put the children that came through their doors to work. From the various workhouses of 18th-century England and even up to the labor-orphanages of the early 21st century, child labor has long been a stain on the history of orphanages.
One of the most sinister episodes in the history of orphanages involves Georgia Tann, the mastermind behind the Tennessee Children's Home Society baby-snatching and black market adoption scheme. Tann, backed by a corrupt Memphis politician by the name of E.H. Crump, kidnapped countless children off the streets and out of backyards and porches under the pretense of saving them from destitute homes and wanting to give them better lives.
This, however, was rarely the case, and most of the children dropped off in the west were sold to farmers and businesses looking for free labor. The motives of the adopters were rarely scrutinized and never followed up on, and the children themselves almost always came from poor immigrant families who believed they were sending their children off to better lives.
The orphan train movement of the 19th and early 20th centuries was painted as a triumph of childcare in the United States: orphaned and destitute children from the eastern states were loaded onto trains and sent westward, where supposedly foster homes were waiting to provide them with a better life.
Tann then held open houses in her orphanage, showcasing and selling the children under her 'care' to the highest bidders without conducting any sort of background checks. Behind the happy and healthy facade of these open houses, the children were kept in awful and abusive conditions. Infants would be left without urgent medical care, and would have their tongues strapped to the bottoms of their mouths if they cried too much. Tann died in 1950 without ever having been caught, after kidnapping over 5,000 children over a 20-year period.
Goulburn, Australia's St. John's Orphanage was opened in 1913 and quickly became known for its harsh punishments and severely lacking amenities. Children received lashings for even the most minor of offenses, and were limited to only two toilets for 200 boys.
Today, the concept of an orphanage has been reviewed time and time again. While many places have abandoned the term "orphanage," childcare facilities are still commonplace around the world. Many institutions now emphasize the benefits of foster care, accelerated adoption, and other alternatives to long-term stays in care centers.
During the 1960s, Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu triggered one of the largest orphan crises in Europe after enacting an extremely aggressive natality policy in Romania that banned all contraception and abortions nationwide, until potential mothers had at least four children or reached the age of 40.
By the 1970s, women and couples were even being taxed for not having any children. The overwhelmingly poor lower and middle classes, unable to take care of the children they were forced to have, thus overwhelmed Romania's already decrepit orphanage system with nearly 100,000 abandoned children by the collapse of the communist government in 1989.
With such a dark and checkered history, it's no wonder a collection of urban legends and spooky stories have seeped out of the walls of these shady institutions. These are just a few of the sinister secrets of history's orphanages.
Like so many other orphanages of the era, the children there received very little of the proper care they needed and faced draconian punishments. The Montana Children's Center was also notorious for its poor hygiene; many of the orphanage's children died from disease and were buried on the grounds. One former caretaker claimed there were upwards of 30 gravestones at one point, but they all mysteriously disappeared. Those brave enough to visit the site today have claimed to hear faint sounds of children singing in the now-decrepit building.
The Liverpool Seamen's Orphan Institution was opened in 1869 as Liverpool's first institution dedicated to the care of children orphaned by seamen who never returned. This noble pursuit quickly turned sour. The caretakers at the orphanage were known for locking children in what they called "naughty cupboards," which were cramped, windowless lockers that lined the attic walls.
An orphanage was built in Gettysburg, Virginia, to care for the children orphaned by fallen Union soldiers during the American Civil War. While the National Soldier Orphan's Homestead was run with care for a time, all of that changed once one Rosa Carmichael was put in charge.
Later, in the 1950s, the orphanage was shut down and converted into an asylum. This venture, too, garnered a bad reputation. Today, the building is all but empty, except for one little girl's ghost who refuses to leave the premises.
Guthrie, Oklahoma's Guthrie Boy's Home is home to more than a few sinister stories. One of the faculty nurses is said to have taken the lives of numerous boys in her care, and another staff member allegedly hung themselves in the bell tower.
Today, those brave enough to visit the grounds of the Guthrie Boy's Home report the faint sounds of bells and footsteps in the the bell tower.
Carmichael is said to have ruled with an abusive iron fist, regularly punishing the children under her care with excessive violence. Thankfully, one child managed to escape their hellish predicament and alert the authorities, who fined Carmichael for her abuses. To this day, however, the angry spirits of her victims are said to haunt the halls of the orphanage's buildings.
Sources: (Ranker) (Insider) (ThoughtCo)
St. John's finally closed in 1978, but local legends claim the orphanage is anything but abandoned. Numerous visitors have reported hearing the sounds of boys playing, and even seeing apparitions on the orphanage grounds.
Built in Twin Bridges, Montana, and opened in 1894, the Montana Children's Center quickly came to house a large number of children as poverty swept through the west at the end of the mining boom.
Typically, orphanages don't bring the most comforting of images to most people's minds. Whether they're known for their pitiful cleanliness, their evil headmasters, or their overcrowding of poor, destitute children, they seem to rarely live up to their noble goal of providing children with better lives. The history of the orphanage confirms this preconception: most were started by well-meaning philanthropists or religious organizations, but they rarely spelled happiness for their young, abandoned residents. It's no surprise then that there's no shortage of spooky and otherwise odd stories that whisper out of the walls of these institutions.
Intrigued? Read on to learn about the checkered past of the orphanage, and the supernatural consequences of their underperformance.
What was it really like to grow up in an orphanage?
Exploring the history of orphanages through stories
LIFESTYLE Curiosities
Typically, orphanages don't bring the most comforting of images to most people's minds. Whether they're known for their pitiful cleanliness, their evil headmasters, or their overcrowding of poor, destitute children, they seem to rarely live up to their noble goal of providing children with better lives. The history of the orphanage confirms this preconception: most were started by well-meaning philanthropists or religious organizations, but they rarely spelled happiness for their young, abandoned residents. It's no surprise then that there's no shortage of spooky and otherwise odd stories that whisper out of the walls of these institutions.
Intrigued? Read on to learn about the checkered past of the orphanage, and the supernatural consequences of their underperformance.