MENDOTA – The Mendota Museum & Historical Society is thrilled to present a talk by historian and author Sandra McKay, scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3 at the MMHS new space at 907 Washington St., Mendota.

McKay is the author of A Place for Me: An Orphan’s Journey Home and she will be discussing the history of the orphan trains that ran from the middle of the 19th century and into the early 20th. These trains transported children who had either lost their parents or whose families could no longer care for them to new homes across the country. This talk will focus on the role played by the nation’s railroads, including the Illinois Central, as well as the impact on the children and local communities here in northern Illinois – for good and for ill.

Tickets are $10 each and can be purchased either on the MMHS website or by calling 815-539-3375.