There are few tragedies more heartbreaking than being an orphan. But, in the 1800s in the United States, that tragedy brought with it unimaginable dimensions of loss, abuse, and violence. Orphanages were established to save children from the streets. But they often became places of horror. And homelessness on the streets offered no less risk of misery. The first orphanage in the U.S. was established in 1729 in Natchez, Mississippi, for white children orphaned as a result of the conflict between