Orphan Asylum ca. 1899-1900 The oldest of its kind in the United States, the Orphan Asylum Society was founded in 1806, according to the 1893 King's Handbook of New York, to "minister to the wants of the parentless children of the community, and train them up in the paths of virtue." The Riverside Drive site was secured in 1835, and accommodated 250 children. Only children under age ten were admitted, and they were sent on to "Christian homes" when they reached age fourteen.