The Children's Home Society

The Children's Home Society found a home for their Tallahassee office at the Randall House by 1961. The Society was a part of the early precursor to foster care that resulted from the welfare program to rehome orphans at the turn of the twentieth century. Many orphans from large metropolitan areas like New York were grouped together and sent on "orphan trains" with agents tasked to facilitate the rehoming of children with caretaker families. The agents would send flyers ahead of the train to towns to "screening committees" to discern families fit for foster care.

The Children's Home Society of Florida is now headquartered in Jacksonville, where it hosted conferences in the 1940s and 50s. Former Florida Governor Millard Caldwell is seen here with board members from the Home Society in 1959.