An Irish priest named Edward J. Flanagan opened a house for wayward and neglected boys in Omaha, Nebraska 97 years ago on December 12, 1917, and was immediately joined by six troubled youths. It was the beginning of the Boys Town shelter, and it helped pioneer new methods of caring for troubled juveniles in the 20th century.

Father Flanagan was 31 years old at the time. He left Ireland for the United States as a teenager, and was ordained in 1912. He was sent to Nebraska, where he asked to start a shelter for homeless boys in Omaha. The bishop overseeing the Omaha Diocese wasn’t sure about the idea, but he supported the young priest and agreed to let him try.

Father Flanagan’s downtown facility was soon overflowing with boys referred from courts and concerned citizens, or who simply walked in on their own. Father Flanagan was forced to search for a larger facility as enrollment soared to 100 within months.

The approach at Boys Town was based on social preparation. Boys were educated at all grade levels, and learned trades in a career vocational center – a relatively new approach to raising orphans at the time. In 1943, Boys Town changed its logo to a larger boy carrying a smaller boy on his back, with the caption "He ain't heavy, mister - he's my brother." The expression became popular enough to inspire a song by the British rock group The Hollies.

Boys Town was eventually relocated to its present location, a farm 10 miles outside of town, and changed its name to “Boys and Girls Town” to reflect its co-ed mission. It currently has 12 regional missions around the country.

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