“There I was, this red-haired freckle faced scrawny kid aboard the Orphan train headed to the unknown”. One of ten children aboard that old, dusty, smelly black train car headed to Corsicana State Home. “I remember that ride only as the hottest and longest ride I’ve ever taken, I was afraid to cry, but to terrified not too”.
The Corsicana State home was originally known as the State …show more content…
Summers in Corsicana, Texas are rather humid and hot. The kind of heat that makes yours clothes stick to your skin. The pond was a favorite of many of the children who would spent much time swimming to cool off from the blazing heat. The grounds were extensive with lots of roaming for children. Although, the children were closely monitored they enjoyed much of the vast land that surrounded the home.
Corsicana State Home provided education to the students from 1930-1956. Although the home remains an independent public school district, in 1956, the home began sending children to the local public school due to financial restraints that rendered them unable to continue their in house education system.
“I went to public school, all the kids knew where you lived by your clothing”. Clothing for the orphans were limited. The clothing was manufactured by the state women’s penitentiary and was purchased by the home for the children. The girls’ uniform was black or gray dresses that donned a square neck line with straight bodice to the elastic waist and flared somewhat to the knees. It was a thick cotton and not comfortable, especially for a girl who wanted to play ball. The children from the state school, at this era, did not participate in extracurricular activities provided by the public school