Average trip. We arrived at approximately 1 pm and made our way inside cottage 11 to tour first. We were met promptly by a tour guide who first sat us down in the living room, where we watched a short documentary about the cottage. The documentary was narrated by an individual who actually spent the majority of his childhood in the cottage. He went over what life was like in the cottage, as well as providing a little bit of background information on the workers who worked there. The tour guide then took us through the cottage, going through each individual room, and explaining what each room was used for. She even told us some stories about the children who lived there! After the guided tour was done, we were free to go through the house on our own. There were several audio stations in the rooms, in which we could hear recounts of memories that took place inside of the cottage. After touring the cottage, we went into the city hall building, which housed the main museum on the first floor. It consisted of a single wrap around hallway, that contained artifacts and small informational plaques, explaining how life was like at the orphanage. I would have liked to see a bigger exhibit/better display of objects. Tip: I recommend spending 4 hours here if you truly want to see everything. Check the website for the most updated hours to tour the cottage, as that was the highlight of the trip.

If you take some time here you will get a very complete picture of the history of orphaned/unwanted children in America. Be prepared to be moved to tears at times. If you are a history buff, and want a fuller picture of human services in the 20th century...this is the place to visit. If your interest is further piqued by what you see they have a number of resources for further study. I found this museum to be heartbreaking, yet oh so informative.

The State School Orphanage has a museum, cottage, audio tour, and printed information for learning more about the history. It was my understanding that one needed to arrange a tour guide by having a group. We were fortunate to be allowed to "tag along" with a previously formed group led by Harvey Ronglien, former resident from age 5-18. It was unfortunate we didn't know about the group sooner as we were in the museum, but we were able to hear from Harvey while touring Cottage 11, which was his home. The grounds are beautiful. There is a cemetery on site where 190+ children were buried. Many were put into graves marked only by their number. Through Harvey's initiation and the community involvement, all graves have been marked with crosses and names. There is a memorial boardwalk. There are donation boxes to help support the efforts.

I was really looking forward to visiting this museum was, but it was beyond disappointing. It is located in a building that states it is “city hall” over the entry door, so I’m not sure whether it originally was the orphanage or it just currently houses the display cases. And we would never find out because there was absolutely no one around to ask. The place was completely deserted at 3:00 in the afternoon. It appeared that the museum consisted of display cases of photos lining the hallways of the building. I couldn’t discern any order and frankly, reading display cases isn’t my favorite way to see a museum. And what cemetery? It would have been nice if there had been someone around to ask . . .

The State School once was home to all of Minnesota's neglected, abused, or orhapned children. Some loved it, some hated it, but it had a significant impact on thousands of MN children. The museum and cottages are worth spending 2-3 hours to check out.

We visited the State School Orphanage Museum on September 24, 2008. The museum is housed in a large brick building, which apparently also contains various offices for the City of Owatonna. The museum is set up in several hallways of the building, and the exhibits do an excellent job of presenting the life that residents of the orphanage faced. Some outbuildings and a cemetery remain from the days of the orphanage. I found the exhibits to be very illuminating and well done. No charge is made for the museum, but there is an opportunity for free will offerings if one so desires. It was a memorable experience.

Self guided tour for the most part. You will see what life was like for the children who were left here. It is emotional and thought provoking. Tour the main building which houses the museum and a local art gallery. Then visit the boys cabin, cemetery and grounds. One of the last surviving boys lends his voice and stories through recordings that can be heard from multiple stations throughout the campus. He is also available for presentation to large groups for a donation to the museu, if requested in advance.

They have a large collection of items from the period. Cottage 11 is especially moving. You really get a feeling for the era the school was actve.

It was sad to read some of the stories about some of the children their, and the cemetery also for the children that died their. It was free, I looked for a donation box and was unable to find one. The cottage wasn't open when we where their, if it had been I would have loved to have taken a look inside it, they need to open it sooner in the day. Despite me finding it sad and depressing I did find it interesting. I will also add, it's nice to see that the place has been preserved (no longer forgotten) and the buildings are still being used by local gov. offices.

We visited when Harvey Ronglien was a tour guide. He grew up in the orphanage. He stayed late, after closing time to show us the museum and tell us the history.