Boys Town (organization)

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
Built:	1917
Architect:	Daly, Leo A., Construction
Architectural style:	Tudor Revival, Other
Governing body:	Private
NRHP Reference#:	85002439
Significant dates
Added to NRHP:	February 4, 1985
Designated NHL:	February 4, 1985

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 development of new juvenile care methods in 20th century America, emphasizing social preparation as a model for public boys' homes worldwide.

Today, Boys Town is a national leader in the care and treatment of children and families through its research-proven treatment for behavioral, emotional and physical problems. Boys Town also has taken a leadership role in advocating for change in the current child care system, which often offers fragmented and ineffective treatment.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

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.
• 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 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 siamese twin of Bart is called by Dr. Hibbert "Too crazy for Boys Town. Too much of a boy for Crazy Town."
• In 1994 Discovery Channel financed a documentary called "Conspiracy of Silence" by John DeCamp, a highly decorated Vietnam war veteran and 16-year Nebraska state senator, which exposed Boys Town as the center of a nationwide paedophile ring for the rich, powerful and famous. The ring consisted in secretly using children for trafficking, molestation and some even state that they were used for Satanic Rituals. It was supposed to air on May 1994 when Discovery Channel abruptly retired the funding and the documentary was censored.^{[citation needed]}

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