Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Education, Government

Location

2 Reydon Way, Commack, NY 11725, USA

Lat/Long

40.8635, -73.264278

Grant Recipient

Town of Smithtown

Originally named the Brooklyn Howard Colored Orphan Asylum, the Howard Orphanage and Industrial School was founded in 1868. It was operated by African Americans, unlike other orphanages that cared for destitute Black children. In 1910 the Howard Orphanage purchased a farm on Long Island, closed the Brooklyn facility, and moved 250 boys and girls there. The children were taught practical skills and were “placed out” with individual families when they reached the age of sixteen. The Orphanage was forced to close in January 1918 due to the severe winter that caused the water pipes to freeze, resulting in two children contracting frostbite which required their feet to be amputated. Following the foreclosure, orphanage trustees used financial contributions, which individuals continued to send, for the education of needy Black students in Brooklyn area high schools. The organization was renamed the Howard Memorial Fund in 1956.