The inspiration for the Orphan Train Project came from a unique phenomenon that occurred in the United States in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when homeless children were sent by train from New York to families in the Midwest for adoption. These trains became known as the Orphan Trains, or Mercy Trains.

To gain an even greater historical perspective on Orphan Trains of the past, click here to visit another web site.  Teachers, students and historians, who click here, will find even more information and ideas about Orphan Trains of the past.

We're using the term Orphan Train figuratively, because the goal of our project is to bring help to the orphans rather than the reverse.  Today's Orphan Train Project is NOT an adoption program, but rather a program designed to help children living in orphanages and children's homes.