Marker photo not
available at this time

Corsicana State Home

Created by the 20th legislature in 1887, The State Orphan Asylum originally provided care for orphans under age 14. State officials located the institution in Corsicana after local citizens donated over 200 acres at this site. The first students arrived in 1889. By 1897, the institution had an independent school district.

Renamed State Orphan Home before 1899, the facility housed about 400 students in 1900. Here they received academic and vocational instruction. The campus once had extensive farmlands to supply food and provide agricultural training for students. Physical facilities were enlarged as enrollment increased. During the depression of the 1930's, residents numbered over 800.

The campus school was phased out at the end of the 1955-56 academic year and students transferred to Corsicana public schools. In 1957 the home was placed under jurisdiction of the Texas Youth Council and was renamed Corsicana State Home.

Thousands of children have benefited from the care and schooling provided by the home. Prominent former students include Robert E. Calvert, Supreme Court Associate Justice 1950-61, and Chef Justice 1961-72). (1977)

Location: 3500 block of W. 2nd Avenue, Admin. Bldg., Corsicana, Texas