In 1885, Mr. and Mrs. Frederick Gordon Burnham of Morristown, N.J. bought 580 acres of land at Canaan, N.Y. which they subsequently increased through additional purchases. Soon after their purchase, they decided that the site would be most useful as a home and school for impoverished or homeless boys. Thus the Burnham Industrial Farm was incorporated by the State of New York in May 1886, though it subsequently became known as the Berkshire Industrial Farm. Based on European educational models in Germany, Holland, France and Great Britain, the school was conceived as a residential institution designed to assist indigent male youth between the ages of seven and sixteen through courses of Christian industrial and vocational training.
From the description of Berkshire Industrial Farm records, 1886-1926. (Cornell University Library). WorldCat record id: 64053214
