Orphan Train -

: In 1853, Charles Loring Brace founded the Children's Aid Society . He believed that taking children out of "vile" urban environments and placing them with hardworking farm families would give them a better chance at becoming moral, productive citizens.

: In the mid-19th century, cities like New York and Boston faced a crisis of "street children"—tens of thousands of homeless youth living in poverty, often turning to crime or facing starvation. Orphan Train

: By 1890, over 150,000 miles of track were used to transport these children. : In 1853, Charles Loring Brace founded the