VISIT OWATONNA | Plan a field trip with us today!
We host group tours for a wide audience of visitors, including school groups, mystery bus tours, senior groups, and book clubs. Group tours include a Museum visit, tour of Cottage 11, and viewing a film recorded in 1930 and narrated by Harvey Ronglien, who grew up in the state school.
To schedule your tour today, email museum@ci.owatonna.mn.us or call us at 507-774-7369 (Museum office). We suggest a minimum of 10 people for a group, but we are flexible. If you would like to schedule multiple stops in Owatonna, call 1-800-423-6466 (Owatonna Area Chamber of Commerce & Tourism) and we will happily plan your itinerary.
There were 10,635 of them between 1886 and 1945, kids orphaned, abandoned, or abused and sent to Owatonna, Minnesota, home of the Minnesota State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children, once the third largest institution of its kind in the nation.
The Minnesota State Public School Orphanage Museum was founded to “Remember the Children” who lived there. For each child, their experience was unique. Some found it a safe haven, while others found it traumatic.
Visit us to learn about the history of the school. Explore the Museum, historic Cottage 11, the Children’s Cemetery, and interactive campus to get a glimpse of what life was like for the children who called the orphanage their home.
Whether you schedule a guided group tour or choose a self-guided visit, you will find unforgettable history awaiting you in Owatonna.
