Belchertown State School

Belchertown State School

The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. It became known for inhumane conditions and poor treatment of its patients, and became the target of a series of lawsuits prior to its eventual closing in 1992. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994.

Read more about Belchertown State School:  Conditions and Treatment of Patients, Changing Attitudes Towards Mental Retardation, School Closing and Redevelopment, Collaboration With University of Massachusetts Students

Famous quotes containing the words state and/or school:

    During the Civil War the area became a refuge for service- dodging Texans, and gangs of bushwhackers, as they were called, hid in its fastnesses. Conscript details of the Confederate Army hunted the fugitives and occasional skirmishes resulted.
    —Administration in the State of Texa, U.S. public relief program (1935-1943)

    And this school wasn’t keeping anymore,
    Unless for penitents who took their seat
    Upon its doorsteps as at mercy’s feet
    To make up for a lack of meditation.
    Robert Frost (1874–1963)