ST. LANDRY PARISH — Walking into the Louisiana Orphan Train Museum, you’re immediately surrounded by a wealth of history — stories that date back to the 1850s and continue to echo through time.
“This is my grandmother's dress — the one she wore on the orphan train. She was number 14,” said Museum Board President Martha Aubert, as she carefully unfolded a piece of her family’s past.
The museum shares the emotional journey of thousands of children who were displaced or left behind by parents who could no longer care for them in New York City. These children were sent by train to Louisiana to live with new families — and each wall inside the museum brings their stories to life in rich detail.
“Because a lot of people just don't know what is in here,” Aubert said. “We are one of only two orphan train museums in the country.”
During the mid-1800s, life in New York City was a dire time for immigrants and children. Many lived in poverty with little hope for the future. The Sisters of Charity stepped in to find them new homes — often sending them to rural areas like Louisiana.
One of those children was Emily Kingsley, Aubert’s grandmother.
“I’m the granddaughter of an orphan train rider,” Aubert shared. “It’s documented that her mother didn’t go back to check on her. She was taken in by the New York Sisters of Charity — and I’m grateful for that, because I wouldn’t be here talking to you today.”
Kingsley eventually traveled to Louisiana to start a new life among French-speaking families. Like many other orphan train riders, she became an indentured servant for the family who took her in.
“I’ll say there was always this empty hole in her heart,” Aubert said. “She was never legally adopted by the Bergeron family, and I think that always bothered her.”
It’s stories like Emily’s — and the hundreds of others who came before and after her — that make the Louisiana Orphan Train Museum such a special place.
“Everyone who comes gets a guided history tour,” Aubert said. “We honor these people.”
This weekend, visitors will get the chance to experience those stories for themselves. The museum is celebrating 16 years of preserving history with an open house event.
The museum’s open house begins Saturday morning, October 11th, at 10:00 a.m. at the Le Vieux Village Heritage Park in Opelousas located at 223 S. Academy Street. Admission is free and open to the public.
“I’m excited to be here,” Aubert said. “This is a true gem — right here in Acadiana — and you can come learn about all this untold history.”
