NOTE: As of Feb. 29, 2024, Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC) has rebranded to Landmarks for Families. Our nonprofit, community programs and residential services remain committed to cultivating thriving youth and families in this new chapter.
As part of CYDC’s 225th anniversary celebration as the Charleston Orphan House, we will be posting a new fact about our history every day from March 7 up until the official birthday of the Orphan House on October 18, a time period spanning 225 days. In case you missed one or all, here is a recap of the first week’s slate of facts:
Saturday March 7: Fact 1: Founded in 1790, the Charleston Orphan House was the first publicly-funded orphanage in the 
United States.
Sunday March 8: Fact 2: Renowned as a childcare institution, the Orphan House hosted many distinguished guests, including Presidents James Monroe (1802), Grover Cleveland, William Howard Taft (1909) and Vice President Calvin Coolidge (1922). No documentation exists on whether Grover Cleveland visited on two non-consecutive occasions:)
Monday, March 9: Fact #3: In 1877, the Charleston Orphan House started the first Kindergarten in South Carolina, and one of the first in the nation.
Tuesday, March 10 Fact #4 The Charleston Orphan House launched one of the first educational systems in South Carolina.
Wednesday, March 11 Fact #5 The Charleston Orphan House was located on the corner of present-day Calhoun and St. Philip’s Streets.
Thursday, March 12 Fact #6 In 1792, before the Orphan House was completed, children were placed in a rented house on Market Street.
Friday, March 13 Fact #7 The original Charleston Orphan House was built on the site of a barracks used during the Revolutionary War.
