The American Civil War left thousands of children orphaned or with displaced, impoverished parents no longer able to care for their children . With $1.50 in seed money on September 21, 1863, Rev. Emmanuel Boehringer and his wife Christina set out on a mission to care for as many of these boys and girls as they possibly could by founding the Orphans' Home of the Shepherd of the Lambs. In short time, the couple's home became too small. A property was found in the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia. As children continued to come to the Orphans' Home, the Bridesburg site was also outgrown. Sadly, Christina Boehringer died on September 21, 1864 and her husband Emmanuel died the following month on October 25, 1864. After their deaths, the six Boehringer children were raised at the home.

 

By the early 1900s, campus facilities included Frick Memorial Cottage; Applegate Lodge; Santee Hall Dining Hall, which also housed the Steam Heat Plant; Bausman Memorial Church; Infirmary; Leinbach Cottage; Laundry Building; Administration Building; New Water Works and Reservoir, which was enlarged to an 80,000 gallon capacity; Spring-House; Anniversary Pavilion; Boys' Workshop; Dietrich Cottage; Catherine Moyer Cottage; Ira S. Reed Cottage; and D. Frank Knerr Cottage