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OWATONNA, Minn. (WCCO) ― More than a century ago, through the great depression and World Wars, Minnesota was home to the nation's third largest orphanage. Owatonna was where thousands of unwanted, neglected and dependent children were sent to live.

Located on the outskirts of this southern Minnesota town is a wooded setting dotted by old brick buildings, and where, decades ago, Minnesota's forgotten children called "home."

"I think it's just a shame that something like that's forgotten!" said Harvey Ronglien, who was just five when he and his brother were orphaned, and sent to Owatonna to live. He'll forever remember the first day he and his older brother Oscar arrived.

"I turned around and Oscar was, you know those car handles in those days, he was holding on to that, screaming and kicking and yelling that he wanted to go home," recalled Ronglien.

As for Ronglien, he said he was too young to know any better, and doesn't even remember his mother, who died when he was just a toddler. Ronglien is now the director of the Orphanage Museum.

Owatonna's sprawling orphanage was called the "Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children". It was a place where kids were known by number, not name.

"I was 9164," recalled Ronglien.

From 1886 to the end of World War II, 10,635 orphans lived at Owatonna's "State School." Many came because their families struggled with too many children. Others were the product of the Great Depression, abusive families or had one or both of their parents die.

They lived in the brick cottages, about 25 to a group and were under the constant supervision of a stern matron for a mother.

"Every cottage was different because of the matron, the matron set the standards," said Ronglien.

Former orphans say while the school fulfilled their physical needs, the emotional and social needs went unmet. It's hard to give love to so many, many kids.

"I didn't know how to fit into a family when I got out of here. I didn't know nothing about a family. I didn't know what a cousin, an uncle and an aunt were. I didn't know any of that stuff," said Ronglien.

The orphanage was self-supporting, having its own dairy farm, a barber shop and bakery. It was expected that the children would help out with daily chores and tasks. But the centerpiece of the complex was the school. Children would attend through the 8th grade and then enroll in the local Owatonna High School.

All of these distant memories are now preserved in an orphanage museum in the main building of the property. The city of Owatonna now owns the land and buildings and uses it for city offices.

Far more than just a collection of orphanage objects, and black and white photographs, the message the museum tells runs deeper. It is that a person's upbringing, specifically their childhood, will dictate their course throughout life.

"We've learned that a lot of these children their trust was broken when they were babies, when they were young children. And the abandonment issue is very prominent with state schoolers," said Maxine Ronglien, Harvey's wife and the museum tour guide.

While most state schoolers went on to have their own families, some remained at the orphanage.

"There's our cemetery out there, 198 children are buried out there," said Harvey Ronglien.

It's to their memories the museum is dedicated; a little know part of Minnesota's history that deserves to be heard.

"We just hope that it carries on after we're gone, we're working on that," said Ronglien.

The museum is raising money to pay for the renovation of one of the cottages. That will allow visitors to see the actual living spaces of the orphans. They plan to have it open for tours next fall.

 

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