Editing Belchertown State School
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| construction_began = 1922 | | construction_began = 1922 | ||
| construction_ended = | | construction_ended = | ||
− | | opened = | + | | opened = |
− | | closed = | + | | closed = |
| demolished = | | demolished = | ||
| current_status = [[Closed Institution|Closed]] | | current_status = [[Closed Institution|Closed]] | ||
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==History== | ==History== | ||
− | The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Located at 30 State Street, the 876-acre (3.55 km2) campus contains ten major buildings built in a Colonial Revival style by Kendall, Taylor, and Co. The state schools of Massachusetts were different from state hospitals; the latter was for the mentally ill, while state schools were institutions for the mentally defective (the name is a misnomer, as they did not generally involve any form of education). | + | The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. |
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+ | Located at 30 State Street, the 876-acre (3.55 km2) campus contains ten major buildings built in a Colonial Revival style by Kendall, Taylor, and Co. The state schools of Massachusetts were different from state hospitals; the latter was for the mentally ill, while state schools were institutions for the mentally defective (the name is a misnomer, as they did not generally involve any form of education). | ||
Throughout its first 40 years, Belchertown operated mostly without scrutiny from outside sources. It was later discovered that since its inception the residents—some of whom had lived on the wards their entire lives—were being terribly mistreated and abused by the staff; author Benjamin Ricci referred to the conditions there as "horrific", "medieval" , and "barbaric". | Throughout its first 40 years, Belchertown operated mostly without scrutiny from outside sources. It was later discovered that since its inception the residents—some of whom had lived on the wards their entire lives—were being terribly mistreated and abused by the staff; author Benjamin Ricci referred to the conditions there as "horrific", "medieval" , and "barbaric". | ||
Doctors at the school had little regard for patients' mental capacity, evidenced by this quote: | Doctors at the school had little regard for patients' mental capacity, evidenced by this quote: | ||
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"His method of evaluating me consisted of looking me over during the physical exam and deciding that since I couldn't talk and apparently couldn't understand what he was saying, I must be an imbecile. Since I couldn't ask him to speak up or repeat what he said, he assumed I was a moron. (Sienkewicz-Mercer p38)" | "His method of evaluating me consisted of looking me over during the physical exam and deciding that since I couldn't talk and apparently couldn't understand what he was saying, I must be an imbecile. Since I couldn't ask him to speak up or repeat what he said, he assumed I was a moron. (Sienkewicz-Mercer p38)" | ||