Babe Ruth was sent to St. Mary's Industrial School at age seven. He entered the Baltimore reform school and orphanage on June 13, 1902, where he would spend most of the next 12 years.
Ruth's father struggled to supervise him while running a saloon, and accounts describe the boy as frequently absent from school and increasingly unruly. St. Mary's, operated by the Xaverian Brothers, imposed strict discipline while teaching boys academic subjects and trades. Ruth learned shirtmaking and carpentry there.
The school also shaped Ruth's baseball career. Brother Matthias Boutlier became an important mentor, encouraging Ruth's powerful hitting and pitching. By age 18, Ruth was allowed to leave the grounds for weekend games, and his performances eventually attracted minor-league owner Jack Dunn.
A common mix-up is confusing Ruth's age when he entered St. Mary's with his age when he left professional baseball for the major leagues. He was 19 when he joined the Baltimore Orioles in 1914, after roughly a dozen formative years at the school.