NEWS FROM OPELOUSAS

For Immediate Release                                                                      Contact:  Melanie Lee
April 29, 2008                                                                                   Phone: (337) 948-5227

ORPHAN TRAIN MUSEUM GROUNDBREAKING SCHEDULED IN OPELOUSAS


(Opelousas,LA) - The City of Opelousas will host a groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, May 6th at 9:00 a.m. at Le Vieux Village to mark the official start of construction for the Orphan Train Museum.  The project will restore the old Union Pacific Depot located in Le Vieux Village into the much anticipated Orphan Train Museum, making it the state’s first orphan train museum and the second museum of its kind in the nation. 

Once constructed, the 2400- sq. foot museum will help tell the history of the Orphan Train riders.  The project includes a main exhibit space and a reception area.  For over a decade, members of the Louisiana Orphan Train Society have been gathering memorabilia and artifacts, including original clothing and old photographs, of the Orphan Train Movement, which will be housed in the museum.  The museum will also include an entertainment stage, a parking area, and a wall-sized mural, which will depict the arrival of the first Orphan Train arrival in Opelousas in 1907.
The Orphan Train Museum is a great contribution to the cultural gateway of the City of Opelousas," said Mayor Donald Cravins, Sr. "Visitors from around the world and generations to come will have the opportunity to explore the history of the Orphan Train Movement.”

A true part of American history, the Orphan Train movement was the first documented foster care system in America. The event, which took place from 1853 to 1929, brought thousands of children  from overcrowded orphanages and homes in the northeastern United States, to live with families on farms throughout the Midwest.  Over 2,000 orphans came to Louisiana during that time period to live in rural farming communities.
Clause Construction of Eunice is the contractor for the project, which costs just over 500-thousand dollars.  Funding for the Orphan Train Museum is made possible through grants provided by the Dept. of Transportation & Development and the Dept. of Natural Resources.  Construction is anticipated to take approximately 9-12 months.

The public is invited to attend the ground-breaking ceremony will take place next to the Union Pacific Train Depot inside Le Vieux Village. Le Vieux Village is located between Vine & Landry Streets in Opelousas just off Interstate 49.   


Photo:  The Union Pacific Depot in Le Vieux Village will become the Orphan Train Museum.

 

Melanie Lee
Tourism Director

City of Opelousas
828 East Landry St.  #6

Opelousas, LA 70570

Phone 337-948-5227
Fax 337-948-5229
www.cityofopelousas.com