Davis Child Shelter

I attended school with kids from the Davis Child Shelter.  I had to walk within site of the home every day. I dont recall any of us looking down on these kids, as they were kids just like us with a slightly different home life. But I also dont recall them, or us ever discussing it on the playground.  The shelter stopped being called the "Davis Child Shelter" in 1961 when it became the Children's Home Society, which was heavy on adoption.  This building was torn down in 1964, and the property became part of the HECKS discount store.

My next door neighbor when I was young (Carol Olian) said the following about this photo: "The little girl in the dark dress is definitely my mom.  Her brother, Frank Miragliotta, is behind her...dark hair with strands of hair falling on his forehead.  He was one or two years older than mom. Her other brother, my Uncle Vito, is #5 on the left side of the picture on the front row sitting on the grass."

See larger photo HERE

These names were on the back of the photo above

James Chapman, who sent me this photo said the following: "My mother worked here for 18 years. She's holding David Cleland, back row left."  David Cleland's father was in charge of the Davis Child Shelter for many years and David lived there right through his first college at Morris Harvey.

Davis Child Shelter, an orphanage, was established in 1900 with financing from former U.S. Sen. Henry Gassaway Davis. The orphanage closed in 1961 as part of a national movement to remove children from institutions and place them in foster homes.  Davis Child Shelter was part of the Children’s Home Society of West Virginia, and still is the state’s largest child-service organization. DAVIS CHILD SHELTER HISTORY