One of the most fascinating stories in American history is one that very few even know about. From 1854 to 1929, the Orphan Train brought hundreds of thousands of abandoned and orphaned children from east coast cities to the American countryside, including Paola, in an effort to find them homes. Newspaper articles from the time describe orphanages at capacity and believing the streets were no place for a desperately poor child, it was believed the orphans and indigent children would have better lives with families in the west instead of institutionalizing them in cities.
During a special presentation at the Miami County Historical Museum in Paola, sisters Serena Price and Erica Sims will share the story of their grandmother, and her brother, who were on on one of the many Orphan Trains. The presentation will be at 1:00 Saturday, August 17th, at the museum in Paola. Miami County Residents and descendants can visit the museum’s library, which contains information on the children and their adoptive families, resulting from three such train stops in the city.
