In 1917, Father Edward Joseph Flanagan borrowed $90 to rent a downtown Omaha boardinghouse as a home for the city's abused, abandoned and disabled boys. In 1921, with many success stories under his belt, Father Flanagan purchased Overlook Farm, the 900 acres that make up today's Boys Town. Exhibits in the Hall of History tell Boys Town's story through photos, artifacts, even the Oscar that actor Spencer Tracy won for playing Flanagan in the 1938 movie Boys Town.