ST. LANDRY PARISH — Walking into the Louisiana Orphan Train Museum, you’re immediately surrounded by a wealth of history — stories that date back to the 1850s and continue to echo through time.

“This is my grandmother's dress — the one she wore on the orphan train. She was number 14,” said Museum Board President Martha Aubert, as she carefully unfolded a piece of her family’s past.

The museum shares the emotional journey of thousands of children who were displaced or left behind by parents who could no longer care for them in New York City. These children were sent by train to Louisiana to live with new families — and each wall inside the museum brings their stories to life in rich detail.

“Because a lot of people just don't know what is in here,” Aubert said. “We are one of only two or

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