Troy Orphan Asylum
Troy Orphan Asylum is a not-for-profit organization based in Wynantskill, New York, that works with youth and families in need across the Capital Region. It originated as the Troy Orphan Asylum in 1833.
History
In 1800, the Benevolent Society of Troy to Assist Indigent Women and Children was founded in Troy, New York. The Society opened the Troy Orphan Asylum in 1833. The name was changed to Vanderheyden Hall in 1942, and today the organization is known as simply "Vanderheyden."Across the river in Watervliet, the Fairview Home for Friendless Children was founded in 1888 by James Barclay Jermain, a lawyer and local philanthropist. In 1956, the Fairview Home merged with the Troy Orphan Asylum. Services moved to the Troy location as the Fairview property, located on Boght Road, was sold to Behr-Manning in 1957.
According to a Times Union article, the Troy Orphan Asylum was originally located on Spring Avenue, where it was known as "the house on the hill." An 1877 map locates the orphanage at Eighth St. and Hutton St., however.
Troy Orphan Asylum was one of the orphanages from which Martha Van Rensselaer, director of the Cornell [University College of Human Ecology|Cornell College of Home Economics], requested infants be used as "practice babies" for home economics students in the 1920s.
A former resident of the Troy Orphan Asylum describes the living conditions as highly regimented yet not too harsh. Children were brought to church on Sundays, were allowed to play outside frequently, and went on regular outings to Frear Park and other destinations.