Louisiana Orphan Train Museum
In 2009, a former century old Union Pacific freight depot was restored to become the Louisiana Orphan Train Museum.
Opelousas was one of the many railway destinations for thousands of homeless children rescued from the streets of New York City from 1854 to 1929.
With the assistance of the The New York Foundling Hospital, more than 2,000 children were placed in homes throughout Louisiana.
Opelousas played a significant role in the Orphan Train Movement by welcoming countless numbers of children who arrived on the trains. The first Orphan Train arrived in Opelousas in 1907 and was subsequently followed by two more trains.
The Louisiana Orphan Train Museum is dedicated to the preservation of the historic event of the arrival of the Orphan Train riders.