Last updated: 10/3/2023
300 Washington Street
Concordia, KS 66901
PO Box 322
Concordia, KS 66901
Tuesday - Friday
10 AM - 12 PM & 1 PM - 4 PM
Group discounts available.
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Kaily Carson
phone: 785-243-4471
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The National Orphan Train Complex Museum and Research Center are dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929.
The mission of the National Orphan Train Complex is to collect, preserve, interpret, and disseminate knowledge about the orphan trains, and the children and agents who rode them.
See website (https://orphantraindepot.org/general-information/) for full history.
Between 1854 and 1929, an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, or homeless children were transported to rural communities across the country in hopes of providing a better life for them.
Photographs, documents, and other personal items belonging to orphan train riders, their families, and the organizations that sent them West to find new homes.
Files on approximately 8,000 orphan train riders are available for research with advance request.
Offer field trips, work with teachers for other needs upon request.
f we do not currently have information on the orphan train rider you are looking for, we offer research services. We utilize public records to find information such as when a rider rode the train, which agent they travelled with, and any news articles about their placement. To request research on a rider, please print and mail the Research-Registry Form and the research fee to the address on our website. Research requests are generally completed within 3 months, but may take longer if we have a high volume of requests.
ur current research fee is $30 per hour per name, minimum of 2 hours, plus a shipping/handling fee of $5. Once the total payment of $65 (per child) is received and research is complete, we will mail you all the information we found, and add to or create a file for our records.
No walk-in research will be conducted without prior reservation.
Access: General Public
Appointment required: True
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