Retracing the Orphan Train Event: Tour ends at the National Orphan Train Museum

It ends where it begins at the National Orphan Train Museum and Complex. Author of the historical fiction The Bereaved, Julia Park Tracey will give a talk on Friday, October 20, 7 pm at the Orphan Train Museum. Assisted by the museum, this is where  Julia  discovered her great grandfather’s heritage as a child rider on the Orphan Train, unlocking his history but also the identities of  his birth mother and three siblings who were also sent out on the trains. Julia has since donated the train ticket, her only clue to his heritage to the museum. Julia will discuss the many ways she researched and tried to solve the mystery and how she was able to fill in the holes of a story that her family and her great great grandfather never knew. And she’ll discuss how over many years the story evolved into the novel, The Bereaved.

The Bereaved in Concordia, Kansas. The National Orphan Train Complex is located in Concordia and composed of the Museum and a research center dedicated to the preservation of the stories and artifacts of those who were part of the Orphan Train Movement from 1854-1929. The museum’s collections, exhibitions, programming, and research promote understanding of this nationally significant chapter of cultural and social history.

Orphan Train Museum and Complex, 300 Washington Street, Concordia, Kansas 66901

For more information visit, orphantraindepot.org