The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1917-10-05
COLORED Or
PHAN ASYLUM

New York. Oct. 2nd Special to the
Globe;
One of the greatest philanthropies
and a most interesting one is the
Colored Orphan Asylum which is now
situated at Riverdale-on-HudsOn, New
York City. This institution was
founded for the care of destitute chill
dren in 1886 by two young women, a
Miss Mary Murray aged eighteen and
Miss Anne Shotwell, aged twenty
eight. The institution was founded
as a protest against the then existing
system of keeping orphan children in
the jails and almshouses with GRIM
inals and the filthy sick.
After these young women had de.
cided to do this work it was not an
easy task to procure a building to
house these unfortunate children in.
After overcoming bitter opposition
they finally obtained small frame
building on Twelfth Street. Their
next difficulty was to get children and
they found this to be hard task in
as much as the populace and authori'
ties were against such an undertake
ing.
The first child they obtained was a
little girl who was consigned to them
under deplorable circumstances, and
great was their joy of heart in secur-
ing this first orphan. The story from
his point to the burning of the build
ing on Fifth Avenue is one of great
opposition and hard fighting.
They occupied the building on
Twelfth Street until 1912 when the
same was burned down and from
there they moved to temporary quar-.
tiers on Fiftieth Street which at that
time was considered far out of town
In May 1S43 large plot Of land on
the west side of Fifth Avenue be
tween Forty-third and Forty-fourth
Streets was obtained and large con
gregate building was erected to &C
cOmadate about two hundred children
The children were we'll housed ant
cared for here and they enjoyed the
many advantages which were offer
ed in this home.
In the midst of the Civil War on thu
thirteenth day of July 1863 an in
| furiated mob of several thousand men
women and children armed will
clubs, brick bats, etc, advanced upol
the institution, broke down the from
door and set fire to the place. Fo
a time it seemed very much a
though all the world was against tn
poor, unfortunate orphans but whel
everything looked the darkest her
arose in the form of the chief of tn
fire department, one John Decker. B.
his efforts the children were save
but the building was mass of ruins
After the children were all remove
from the burning building little to
not quite ten years of age, ran bac
into the smoke and flames. Everyon
held their breath thinking she woul
surely be burned to death but in
few minutes she emerged from tn
building carrying the Bible froI
which she had heard the work c
God read many times, The Bible is 8
present in the institution and is guar(
ed with great care.
After the burning of this buildin
he children were transferred to tn
City Hospital on Blackwell's Islam
where they remained short tim
under the care and guidance of tn
City of New York
In 1866 land was bought on the we'
side of 143rd Street between Tent
. and Eleventh Avenues and building
erected to accommodate three hundre
} and twenty-five children. The wor
: here progressed from year to yes
r and continued here until 1906 whe
, they again moved, this time comir
( to the modern, up-to-date buildint
( at Riverdale where the work is no
j. being carried on.
/, The work of the Colored Orphs
/. Asylum has been one of progress ar
s in going over the history one wi
: be impressed first with the markt
Y progress of the institution as Who'll
n second with the advanced education
ideas which run through the who
scheme, third with the religio,
thread which passes along as the |
stitution progresses and fourth wi
n the freedom of the children and la,
of appearance of oppression.