Lincolndale Agricultural School for Boys was a Catholic charity run by Barnabas McDonald in Lincolndale, New York. It opened in 1912 for orphans to be trained for agricultural and industrial work. In time, this evolved into Lincoln Hall, which remains active in 2021.

Background

Lincolndale Agricultural School was an adjunct to the New York Catholic Protectory, a facility for orphans, children referred by the courts, or those entrusted by parents who were unable to provide adequate care. The main campus was located in the

Parkchester Parkchester is a planned community and neighborhood originally developed by the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company and located in the central Bronx, New York City. The immediate surrounding area also takes its name from the complex. Its boundari ...

section of the Bronx. The Boys Department was managed by the Christian Brothers, while the girls and younger children were cared for by the

Sisters of Charity of New York The Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul of New York, most often known as the Sisters of Charity of New York, is a religious congregation of sisters in the Catholic Church whose primary missions are education and nursing and who are dedicated ...

. In 1902, the brothers opened St. Philip's Home on Broome Street in Manhattan as transitional housing for boys who had "aged out" of the Protectory's care program. It assisted with job placement and served as a center to help former students establish themselves to live independently.

History

In 1907, the Protectory purchased a number of farms in Lincolndale, a hamlet in Somers in

Westchester County, New York Westchester County is located in the U.S. state of New York. It is the seventh most populous county in the State of New York and the most populous north of New York City. According to the 2020 United States Census, the county had a population ...

. While the boys at the Parkchester campus received training in the building trades, printing, shoemaking, tailoring, photography, and other potential job-related skills, the boys at Lincolndale learned farming and agricultural skills,"Our History", Lincolndale Hall Boys' Haven
with the intent that they might be placed out on farms. Rather than living in a large dormitory, a number of cottages were built, each housing fifty boys, with each cottage under the direction of two brothers. The School produced its own food on the dairy farm and truck farm. Fruits and vegetables were canned and preserved.Munch, Janet Butler. "At Home in the Bronx: Children at the New York Catholic Protectory 1865-1938". ''The Bronx County Historical Society Journal''. 52, 1/2 (Spring, 2015): 30-48
/ref> In "Brother Barnabas" by W. J. Battersby PhD, it states BB became director in January 1909 of the school renaming it the next month for Abraham Lincoln. He was there until 1914. This seems more likely than 1912 since he was appointed to serve on a White House Child Welfare committee in 1909 .

References

{{coord missing, Hudson Valley Defunct schools in New York (state) Agricultural schools 1912 establishments in New York (state) Educational institutions established in 1912