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Placing Out History Preserved by OTHSA
The Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc. (OTHSA) preserves the history of an era in America from the early 1850’s until 1929 when some 150,000 children, many of them orphaned, were “placed out.”
Charles Loring Brace, one of the founders of the Children’s Aid Society of New York City, devised a placing-out program in 1854 that developed into the largest in the United States.
Brace’s placing-out system involved taking groups of waifs, escorted by “agents,” aboard trains to rural America. At pre-selected stops, children would be inspected by prospective parents and perhaps chosen to live with new families. Thus the name, “Orphan Trains.”
Shortly thereafter, other institutions, such as the New York Foundling Hospital and the New England Home for Little Wanderers, followed the same general plan but altered the selection procedure by arranging in advance the families in which children would be placed.
OTHSA is a central clearinghouse dedicated to preserving all information on the children, institutions, agents, railroads, towns and families involved in the various placing-out programs.
Personal family information is protected according to family wishes.
CROSSROADS' >han Train Heritage Society of America
Membership Information
OTHSA’s memberships are based on calendar years beginning with January 1st.
If you join OTHSA during the year, you will be sent all publications printed that calendar year plus other materials sent to members such as membership directories. An example would be...if you joined OTHSA during the month of September ,1991 you would receive:
•	3 issues of CROSSROADS
•	current membership directory
•	October issue of CROSSROADS
If your membership dues are paid after October 1st, you would receive all publications for 1992.
Renewal notices are mailed December 1 st each year.
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Orphan Train Heritage Society of Aserica, Inc.
4912 Trout Fan Road Springdale, AR 72762
Tel. (501)756-2780 [weekends and evenings] CROSSROADS is published by OTHSA Board of Directors Mary Ellen Johnson....Editor Ken Woodward...........Artist
Published quarterly, lailed to all mbers as part of their »e«bership privileges.
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Orphan Train Heritage Society of America, Inc. 4912 Trout Farm Road Springdale, Arkansas 72764
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Non-profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID
SPRINGDALE, AR PERMIT No. 597
EDUCATIONAL MATERIAL. DO NOT DESTROY.
Forwarding and return postage guaranteed.