The Steele Home Orphanage was founded by Almira S. Steele after the passing of her late husband, Walter Steele. The orphanage was established to serve African American children of the South, it opened its doors in 1884. When the orphanage was first established it housed only three children; however, by 1925 the Steele Home had housed over sixteen hundred children. The home was located on Strait and Magnolia in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Steele Home orphanage was the only orphanage in Chattanooga after Reconstruction that opened its doors to African American children. During the lifetime of Almira Steele, African American children were often excluded from orphanages and denied care, thus making the Steele Home a unique institution. The Steele Home was founded in order to provide equal oppo