"Chapter II: “God will provide.”

By January’s end, there were about 50 boys living at Father Flanagan’s, and he was forced to pick and choose boys on the basis of whose situation was most desperate. Unwilling to accept the limits the size of his facility imposed, in the spring of 1918, Father found a larger home for rent, some ten-times the size of his run-down facility. He moved the boys to the German-American Home. In no time, the population soared to more than 100, and Father Flanagan knew that his dream would need to grow once again.

Father Flanagan’s thoughts turned to a particular piece of land some 10 miles west of Omaha. The place was called Overlook Farm, and it was 160 acres of promise, complete with a house, barns, chicken coops and a small garage. Father purchased it through a land-swap deal. Father realized that land would be a vital element to the home’s success. It was important to have a farming operation so that at least part of the home’s food could be grown.

On the grounds, Father planned a school, dormitories, a chapel, trade school, dining hall and his own residence. They also built a baseball diamond and running track, and soon added a full-sized field for baseball and football. But the plans did not include building fences. Father said there would be no fences and no locks on the doors. He said, “I am not building a prison. This is a home. You do not wall in members of your own family.”

As the home developed, the boys became more like citizens of a town than residents of a “home.” They elected their own government – mayor, council and commissioners. They even had their own post office. In 1936, Boys Town became an official village of the State of Nebraska.

Chapter III: Hollywood comes to call