In 1892 the Southern Christian Convention began raising funds to build an orphanage, and in 1905 The Christian Orphanage was established in Elon College, North Carolina. The first building on the grounds was referred to as the Main Building and it opened in January 1907. The building was a two story brick structure that was 116 feet long and included nine bedrooms, five larger bedrooms, two large rooms for the smaller children, a chapel, a dining room, closets, a sitting room with a double office area, a kitchen, and pantries. Facilities in the early 1900s included the Main Building with the capacity to care for 50 children on 111.6 acres of land; in the upcoming years a small barn with a silo, granary, crib, milk house, and gear house were added. The Christian Orphanage changed names twice in its history; the first change occurred in 1956 to the Congregational Christian Home for Children, and then in 1964 changed to Elon Home for Children (an 's' was added to Home when satellite campuses were created). The Main Building was leveled in 1969 to make way for the new McFarland Activities Center.

The historic relationship between the university and Elon Homes and Schools for Children began with leaders of the Christian Church, the predecessor of today's United Church of Christ, who founded Elon College in 1889 and the Christian Orphanage in 1905. Charles D. Johnston, superintendent of the orphanage from 1916-1949, was treasurer of the Elon College Board of Trustees. Many of the children who were raised at the orphanage went on to graduate from Elon College. Johnston's successor as superintendent was John G. Truitt, Sr., a 1917 Elon graduate and father of the Rev. John G. Truitt, Jr. The Rev. Walstein Snyder, a 1945 Elon graduate, was president of the orphanage from 1960-1990. The five buildings purchased by the university include a large central facility formerly known as the Barringer Building and later used for The Elon School, a private high school that opened in 2007. There is also a residential building, gymnasium, two additional classroom/office buildings and a soccer field. Elon University also owns Johnston Hall and Holt Chapel that were once part of the Elon Homes for Children.