Mrs. Mary Allison (ca. 1817–1912) of Greencastle, Putnam County, Indiana, founded the Greencastle Orphans’ Home in 1896. The home resided on 150 acres of land and originally consisted of a twenty-room brick house. Its purpose was to provide care for both orphaned and neglected children. The institution was also known as the Putnam County Orphans’ Home, Mary Allison Home, and the Allison Home, and it operated at three locations, the last being the Lockridge home, before closing in 1992.

The documents range from 1895 to 2003 and include copies of census information from 1900 to 1930, legal documents, newspaper clippings on the institution’s history, and a disbursement book from 1922 and 1938, which details expenditures. The census records provide the names of residents during their respective periods. This collection is arranged alphabetically.