History of the Orphan Trains: Michigan & the Midwest

Join us for a fascinating presentation on the Orphan Trains presented by Michigan author Sherry A. Burton

In the mid 1850’s, over thirty thousand children, some as young as four and five, were living on the streets of New York City; lying, cheating and stealing just to survive. Before any child labor laws or government programs aimed at helping these children, Charles Loring Brace, founder of the Children’s Aid Society, started the “family placement” or “outplacement” program in 1854. The Orphan Trains (as they were later called) ran from 1854 to 1929. During the seventy-five-year period, it is estimated that over 250K children left the streets of New York and Boston and rode the trains to find new homes in the Midwest and beyond.

"Sherry has done extensive research on the history of the Orphan Trains... our patrons absolutely loved it."-- Chesterfield Township Library