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Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children, Owatonna, MN

Photo: McGhiever, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Museums

Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children

A museum on the site of a former Minnesota state residential school for wards of the state, with a restored boys' cottage and a children's cemetery.

540 West Hills Circle, Owatonna, Minnesota 55060 · Owatonna, MN

About Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children

The Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum in Owatonna preserves the history of a residential school that housed children who were orphaned, abandoned, neglected, or abused between 1886 and 1945. Visitors can explore exhibits in the main museum, walk through the restored Cottage 11 from the school era, and visit the Children's Cemetery. Self-guided outdoor experiences cover the original campus, and audio stations and a campus map help guide the visit. Guided group tours for ten or more people are also available. Records for individual former residents are not held by the museum but by the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul.

  • #history
  • #orphanage
  • #residential school
  • #Owatonna
  • #Minnesota

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