The Edna Gladney Home
Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Rev. Issac Z.T. Morris and his wife began in 1887 to care for orphans and abandoned children in Fort Worth, keeping them in their family home. Their work led to chartering (1904) of the Texas Children's Home & Aid Society, with J.B. Baker, J.N. Brown, William Bryce, E.R. Conner, J.C. Conner, J.V. Dealey, Irby Dunklin, H.B.Francis, H.H. Halsell, J. Lee Johnson, E.H. McCuistion, Mr. Morris, G. H. Mulkey, J.W. Robbins, L. A. Suggs, and R.M. Wynne as directors. The Society engaged primarily in placing children in well-chosen adoptive homes. Mrs Edna Gladney (1889-1961) became a director in 1910. A crusader in behalf of waifs, foundlings and unwed mothers, she joined the staff as superintendent in 1927. By her efforts, permanent housing was acquired and services enlarged. Her influence extended beyond her own office, into securing legislation and social reform. Her work received wide public notice; it was dramatized (1941) in the motion picture "Blossoms in the Dust". The home was renamed (1950) in her honor. Progress continued. A hospital unit was added (1954) and named for veteran Board Chairman A. J. Duncan. In 1962, the Gladney home was accredited by the Child Welfare League of America, Inc. Auxiliaries have been formed and facilities added to promote the work. (1974)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
What began in 1887, when the Rev. Isaac Z.T. Morris and his wife took orphaned children into their own Fort Worth home, grew into the Texas Children's Home & Aid Society, chartered in 1904 to place children in adoptive families. Edna Gladney joined as a director in 1910 and became its crusading superintendent, championing unwed mothers and foundlings and pushing landmark social legislation. Her fame reached Hollywood in the 1941 film "Blossoms in the Dust," and the home was renamed in her honor in 1950.
Why it matters
Edna Gladney reshaped American adoption and the treatment of unwed mothers, turning private charity into a force for lasting social and legal reform.
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Related people
- · Edna Gladney
- · Isaac Z.T. Morris
Themes & tags
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