National Orphan Train Complex, Concordia
Anna Laura Hill with boys. Photo courtesy National Orphan Train Complex.
Orphan boys in alley. Photo courtesy National Orphan Train Complex.
Boys on a train. Photo courtesy National Orphan Train Complex.
Placement Ad. Photo courtesy National Orphan Train Complex.
Address:
300 Washington St., Concordia, KS 66901
[map this location]
Phone:
785.243.4471
Website:
www.orphantraindepot.com
The National Orphan Train Complex is a finalist for the 8 Wonders of Kansas History because it is the only museum in the country that focuses entirely on the Orphan Train Movement.
Few cared to help, but some chose to offer these children a chance at a new life. In 1854, what would become known as the Orphan Train Movement began with a group of 46 girls and boys on a train from New York City to rural Dowagiac, Michigan. Between 1854 and 1929, over 200,000 children were placed out through this program. Trains from New York carried children to all 48 continental states and into parts of Canada and about 7,000 were placed in Kansas. It is one of the largest social reform relocation efforts in our nation's history and the beginning of documented foster care in America.
The National Orphan Train
Complex is a museum and research center dedicated to the Orphan Train Movement,
the various institutions that participated, and the children and agents who
rode the trains. As the only museum in the country that currently focuses
solely on the Orphan Train Movement, the NOTC is unique, not only in Kansas but
across the nation. We reach out to riders, descendants and anyone interested in
the Orphan Trains to help find relatives and conduct research. 
Knowing that one
in twenty-five Americans is connected to an orphan train rider, our mission is
to collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate knowledge about this movement
and create a general awareness about the Orphan Trains. The project to open a
national museum in Concordia began with a small group of people dedicated to
preserving this history and making the story more accessible to the public.
Three states bid to receive the archival collection, but Concordia was selected
because of the local committee's
commitment to the project, the availability of a museum building, and because
this small midwestern town exemplified the type of community preferred by
Orphan Train programs. 
The archival collection was moved here in 2003 and the
museum and research center opened in September 2007 after renovations to the
1917 Union Pacific Depot and new construction were complete. Located just north
of downtown Concordia, the National Orphan Train Complex is easily accessible
from U.S. 81 K-9. Visitors will find life size photographs and information about 19th century New York City and the Orphan Train Movement. They will also see exhibits and displays about riders and their experiences with new families in the West. We strive to provide an honest look at some happy and sad stories; we hope that ultimately, visitors will experience a piece of American history they are unlikely to forget.
Open Tuesday-Friday 9:30 a.m.-noon and 1-4:30 p.m.; Saturday 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Admission charge: Adults $5; Children under 12 $3.
Source: National Orphan Train Museum
Photos courtesy National Orphan Train Complex. Exhibit photo KSF
978 Arapaho Rd.
Inman, KS 67546
Phone: 620-585-2374
Phone: 620-585-2374