By the end of the Civil War, 30,000 orphaned children roamed the streets of New York City. Many survived by joining violent street gangs like the Bowery Boys, the Roach Guards and the Dead Rabbits. In response to this crisis, the age of the Orphan Train Movement began. It culminated with 250,000 children being sent by train to live out west with farming families, often as indentured servants. Michael Keene’s documentary, Abandoned: The Untold Story of the Orphan Trains, explores one of the most audacious and shocking chapters in American history.

Presenter: Michael T. Keene, historian, author and filmmaker, will introduce his documentary on Orphan Trains and lead a discussion via Zoom.

Co-sponsored by the New Buffalo Railroad Museum