View source for Central Children's Home of North Carolina

{{Infobox NRHP
| name         = Central Orphanage
| image        = OxfordNC_CentralOrphanage_0584.jpg
| caption      = Central Children's Home auxiliary building
| location     = Antioch Dr. and Raleigh Rd. in [[Oxford, North Carolina]]
| coordinates  = {{coord|36|17|35|N|78|34|21|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin     = North Carolina#USA
| built        = {{Start date|1883}}
| architecture = Italianate
| added        = August 31, 1988
| area         = {{convert|2|acre}}
| mpsub        = {{NRHP url|id=64500360|title=Granville County MPS}}
| refnum       = 88001257<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>
}}
The '''Central Children's Home of North Carolina''', officially the '''Central Children's Home of North Carolina, Inc.''', and historically known as '''''Grant Colored Asylum''''', was founded in [[Oxford, North Carolina]], in 1883. The home is a residential group environment for children up to young adults.
A state historical marker was placed in front of the building by the [[North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources]] Historical Marker Program.<ref name="Highway marker">{{cite web | url=http://www.ncmarkers.com/Markers.aspx?MarkerId=G-83 | title=North Carolina Highway Historical Marker Program | accessdate=August 8, 2014}}</ref>
== Mission ==
The Central Children's Home cares for disadvantaged, orphaned, and troubled children. Admission is accepted from social services organizations that includes the North Carolina Department of Social Services for applicants between the ages of nine to twenty-one with an [[IQ]] of 70 or above. The Robert L. Shepard Scholarship Fund was established in 1943, to aid children seeking a college education or vocational training.
== History ==
The Orphanage was established as a segregated orphanage with Congressional funding in 1883, through the Colored Orphanage Association (formed in 1882), that was supported by Congressman [[Henry P. Cheatham]]. A twenty-three-acre farm was purchased for $1,565.00 just outside Oxford. The city has grown and the home is now inside the area known as Southern Oxford. The orphanage building was built in 1915, and is a two-story brick building with a {{frac|3|1|2}}-story tower and [[Italianate architecture|Italianate]] style design elements. Other early buildings are a small, square, brick building that was erected in 1934 as Cheatham's office and an L-shaped brick building originally built as a [[smokehouse]].<ref name = nrhpinv>{{Cite web | author=-Marvin Brown and Patricia Esperon | title= Central Orphanage | work = National Register of Historic Places - Nomination and Inventory | date =October 1987 | url = https://files.nc.gov/ncdcr/nr/GV0354.pdf | format = pdf | publisher = North Carolina State Historic Preservation Office | accessdate = 2014-11-01}}</ref>
Originally chartered as the Grant Colored Asylum the name was changed to the "Colored Orphanage Asylum of North Carolina" in 1887, the "Colored Orphanage of North Carolina" in 1927, the "Central Orphanage of North Carolina” in 1965, and finally receiving the current name "Central Children’s Home of North Carolina" in 1986. The first director was superintendent, Robert L. Shepard and he directed the Home until Cheatham took over and ran it for 28 years.<ref name="Central Children's Home">{{cite web | url=http://www.northcarolinahistory.org/encyclopedia/441/entry | title=North Carolina History Project | publisher=John Locke Foundation | date=2014 | accessdate=August 7, 2014}}</ref>
== Support ==
Founded with Congressional funding, the Children's Home operates through a 30-member [[Board of Directors]] on donations from citizens, and organizations. Members of the board of directors include the General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina with 44 member associations,<ref name="GBSCNC">{{cite web | url=http://gbsconline.org/centrachildrenshomema.html | title=GBSCNC support | accessdate=August 8, 2014}}</ref> Women's Baptist Home and Foreign Missionary Convention, [[American Legion]] Pilgrimage Committee, Prince Hall Grand Lodge, and the Grand Chapter Order of Eastern Star.<ref name="GBSCNC2">{{cite web | url=http://www.centralchildrenshome.org/directors.html | title=Financial Support | accessdate=August 8, 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140921100343/http://centralchildrenshome.org/directors.html | archive-date=September 21, 2014 | url-status=dead }}</ref>
== Affiliations ==
The Children's Home is affiliated with the [[Child Welfare League of America]] (CWLA), Southeastern Child Care Association, National Association of Homes and Services for Children, [[Child Welfare League of America]], is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation, and licensed by the [[North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services]].
== NRHP ==
The building that the Children's home was originally located in was entered on the list of the [[National Register of Historic Places|National Register]] [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Granville County, North Carolina|of Historic Places]] August 31, 1988.
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140811161747/http://centralchildrenshome.org/aboutus.html Central Children Home of North Carolina]
*[http://gbsconline.org General Baptist State Convention of North Carolina online]
{{National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina}}
{{Granville County, North Carolina}}
[[Category:African-American history of North Carolina]]
[[Category:Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Orphanages in North Carolina]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Granville County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1883]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Granville County, North Carolina]]
[[Category:1883 establishments in North Carolina]]