The Orphan Train Riders

From 1854 to 1929 an estimated 250,000 orphaned, abandoned, and homeless children were placed throughout the United States and Canada during the Orphan Train Movement.

When the orphan train movement began, it was estimated that 30,000 abandoned children were living on the streets of New York City. Charles Loring Brace founded the Children’s Aid Society in order to help these children.  The aid institutions developed a program that placed homeless children into homes throughout the country. The children were transported to their new homes on trains which were eventually labeled “orphan trains.”

Join author/photographer Tom Riley for a fascinating look into the history of the largest mass movement of children in American history.