'Our first students,' 1921 from the Aubrey Lapolice Collection. June 19, Juneteenth: closed, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research CenterUniversity Libraries | UMass Amherst, 25th Floor, Du Bois Library154 Hicks Way | Amherst, MA 01003V. Working Paper on Life at Belchertown. See the catalog entry from the Boston Public Library here. Also known as Bridgewater State Workhouse, Bridgewater State Farm, Bridgewater State Farm Hospital, State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, the Treatment Center for Sexually Dangerous Persons, and Massachusetts Correctional Institute (M.C.I.) The records that we access are under the authority of the Massachusetts Secretary of State through the Massachusetts State Archives at Columbia Point in Boston. They are held elsewhere. Court Appearances: Ricci vs. Callahan, etc. Belchertown State School It is important to distinguish the many types of records kept by institutions. Artifacts Explore our collection of artifacts and ephemera from Belchertown State School as well as other institutions for the disabled in Massachusetts. Branch called the Nautical Reform School existed 1859-1872 based for periods in Salem, Boston, and New Bedford harbors. It was written by Benjamin Ricci, who sent his six-year-old son Bobby to live there not knowing what the conditions were like, and who was involved in the initial 1972 lawsuit. Note that those marked with a. are deemed restricted. Update on the status of the Respite Care Dev. This page was last edited on 23 October 2022, at 04:58. Here is a list of some helpful resources to use when communicating these historical contexts to our families. Honeij, James A. The following video is a fifty-four minute video on the history surround Belchertown State School created by Arbez Productions. of Mental Diseases (St 1919, c 350, ss 79-81), and Dept. WebView the extensive Don LaBrecque collection of historic images of Belchertown along with images of many other state institutions in New England. ArchiveGrid : Weekly returns of admissions to and discharges from Report to the Federal District Court: Exhibits and Attachments. We are closed on weekends. This is a boon to researchers. The first report from the commission in March 1971 was scathing: The deterioration of Belchertown State School speaks for itself - a departmental inability to face up to the facts to accept the idea that there are alternatives to custodial methods of care, the resistance to the development of standards, the unclear and undefined lines of authority and responsibility in the department, the absence of management systems and management control, the severe lack of administrative coordination, the unrealistic emphasis on promises and not performance, the low esteem for the dignity and the potential rehabilitation of the individual residents, the misuse of available resources at Belchertown, and the negative and obstructionist attitude of the administration at the school." Sienkiewicz-Mercer's book refers to a young male nurse who worked at Belchertown in the late 1960s and early 1970s who later became a junior senator from Massachusetts. The Belchertown State School Friends Association was established in 1954 to promote improved conditions at Belchertown State School and better treatment of retarded or mentally challenged citizens in Massachusetts more generally. These cemeteries look unusual, as the graves are marked by stones listing only a number. *, Director's administrative files, 1959-1976; HS7.06/1295X. Benjamin Ricci served as President of the Association during the time of his lawsuits, 1970-1977, and as Chairman of the Board thereafter, 1977-1992. *, Adult after-care clinic case files, 1969-1977; HS7.06/1300X. Applicant: Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corporation 2 Jabish Street Town Hall Belchertown, MA 01007 2. Supplemental Affidavit of William T. Hogan, Jr. Motion to Require Michael Hogan, Ph.D., District I Manager, to Identify and Report to the Court All Belchertown Community Placements, Federal Register, Vol. Admission/discharge register, 1854-1877; catalog link. In 1966 Massachusetts passed the Mental Health and Retardation Services Act, which mandated a gradual transition from a few institutions around the state to a more community-based system of care facilities. For example, here are the two request portals for modern records from the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health: Massachusetts Department of Mental Healths FOIA request page. WebRobert Hornick recounts the story of the Belchertown State School in Belchertown, Massachusetts, from its beginnings in the 1920s to its closure in the 1990s following a scandalous expos and unprecedented court case that put the institution under direct supervision of a federal judge. At Belchertown, the process was accelerated after reports of "deplorable conditions" appeared in a series of articles in the Boston Globe and other newspapers resulted in the formation of a special legislative commission to inquire into conditions at the State Schools at Monson and Belchertown. Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. The bulk of the Belchertown State School collection consists of records of court appearances, briefs, the consent decree, and related materials, along with reports and correspondence relating to Massachusetts v. Russell W. Daniels, Ricci v. Greenblatt (later Ricci v. Okin), and other cases. 72-469-T, Affidavits by Superintendent Jones concerning the condition of certain buildings and plans for the placement of residents at Belchertown State School, and one by Commissioner Mills, Defendants response to the Report to the Court filed by the U.S. District Court Monitor on June 18, 1982, Affidavit of William T. Hogan Jr., Secretary of Human Services, Motion to Strike the Affidavit of William T. Hogan, Jr., Relative to Plaintiffs' Motion to Close Buildings C, E, F, G, and Infirmary at Belchertown State School, Plaintiffs' Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Excuse Secretary Bartley, Secretary Hogan, Jr., and Commissioner Mills from the Court Hearing Scheduled for September 24, 1982. Countway has the first eighty years of operation of the institution through patient registries, admission record books, reports, and case books split into male and female volumes. The Harvard catalog entry for the Worcester Lunatic Asylum patient records is here. Many annual reports are available on Google Books (, If you have difficulty accessing records that you feel should be open, please contact the MGC Massachusetts Records Director at, Several state agencies have web portals for modern records access. The records of the institution have been deposited at UMass/Boston; the finding aid is here. Concord, cemetery stones: 1904, Boston, Industrial School and Home for Crippled and Deformed Children, later called Massachusetts Hospital School; today the Cotting School in Lexington. For an overview, see Hospital Cottages for Children (Baldwinville, Mass. The full content of Titicut Follies is now available on YouTube, just dont view it while you are in Massachusetts unless you are in a qualified group: doctors, lawyers, judges, health-care professionals, social workers, and students in these and related fields.. Afterward, all paupers were sent to the State Almshouse in Tewksbury. This postcard was, Temporary Asylum for Discharged Female Prisoners, The Temporary Asylum for Discharged Female Prisoners was not a state agency or institution. By the 1960s, conditions at the school had deteriorated to a degree detrimental to the residents, precipitating a string of lawsuits, beginning with Ricci v. Greenblatt in 1972, eventually leading to closure of the facility in 1992. Belchertown Public Schools The leper (now called Hansens disease) hospital operated from 1905 to 1920, always under the same name. The second type of record is registration information. "The child above was boarded out by the Boston Children's Aid Society because her mother was ill." Placing-out, The Adoption History Project, Department of History, University of Oregon, Eugene. Spread over 800 bucolic acres, Belchertown opened in 1922 as a self-sustaining, progressive institution for the feeble-minded, but by the 1950s it is a place of squalor, neglect, and abuse. Belchertown State School This means the information placed in a register at the time of admittance, such as name, residence, age, next of kin, etc. Motions for Consolidation and Oppositions to Motions. It was for a period of time affiliated with Harvard Medical School. It might contain a picture of the facility, the numbers of admissions and discharges and deaths, an overall description of the facility, and even a list of the treatments offered. The affiliated Worcester Farm Colony (Grafton State Hospital) cemetery is here. The School was formally opened in 1922 as an institution to train children with developmental disabilities and prepare them for integration into society. Phone: (413) 323-0423 Ext. Massachusetts General Law often prohibits providing patient information for patients in the modern department system. The treatment of people with intellectual or physical disability also changed over time. May 29, Memorial Day: closed Belchertown Internal Medicine For access guidelines call the Massachusetts State Archives, 617-727-2816. Belchertown State School formally closed in 1992. On behalf of his son, Robert Simpson Ricci, and others at the school, Ben Ricci filed a class action suit in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts on February 7, 1972 (Ricci v Milton Greenblatt et al. The State Farm Hospital Cemetery is partially posted on Find-A-Grave here. Volumes 1 and 2 (1800-1864) original records,FHL DGS 7943178(image may only be viewed at a Family History Center or Affiliate Library. 1800, Boston, Boston Female Asylum, later called Boston Society for the Care of Girls, the Boston Childrens Aid Society, Boston Childrens Services, and the Home for Little Wanderers. 413.545.SCUA (413-545-7282), Dept. As a society, Massachusetts has continually discussed the best approach to aid those in need. Admit/discharge logs, 1956-1988; catalog link. The variety of records holders and their rules is one of the reasons MGC is gathering in one place available information about research access to the records of state institutions.. 1856, Northampton, Lunatic Hospital at Northampton. The bulk of the Belchertown State School collection consists of records of court appearances, briefs, the consent decree, and related materials, along with reports and correspondence relating to Massachusetts v. Russell W. Daniels, Ricci v. Greenblatt (later Ricci v. Okin), and other cases. Chapel Hill: UniVolume N. C. Press, 1966, pp. WebPatient admission records for public and private mental hospitals are contained in the following series: Institutional registers, 1863-1947 ((M-Ar)242); Weekly returns of admissions and discharges from institutions, 1916-1945 ((M-Ar)1502X); Admissions card files for state institutions, 1892-1954 ((M-Ar)997X). Another book with vivid descriptions of Belchertown is Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer's I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes; she was a resident of the school in the 1960s and 1970s. Volume 2 (nos. *, Convict treatment case files, 1957-1961; Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.06/1294X. Student Support Services Belchertown State School belchertown state school patient records Robert Hornick recounts the story of the Belchertown State School in Belchertown, Massachusetts, from its beginnings in the 1920s to its closure in the 1990s following a scandalous expos and unprecedented court case that put the institution under direct supervision of a federal judge. 26, 1971. WebBaystate Reference Laboratories - Belchertown - Bridge Street Office Information 35 Bridge Street Suite 2 Belchertown, MA 01007 Office Phone: 413-322-4000 Fax: 413-323-7285 Maps & Directions Office Hours Monday 7 am 3:30 pm Tuesday 7 am 3:30 pm Wednesday 7 am 3:30 pm Thursday 7 am 3:30 pm Friday 7 am 3:30 pm Midday Closures public records under the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Act, although some provide for access to patient records. The Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities, Parallels in Time: A History of Developmental Disabilities, provides resources and a history of treatment. Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary (Mass. The Belchertown State School, which was closely modeled on the grounds and building plans of Wrentham, and which continued the nationally renowned treatment programs begun at Fernald, represents the mature development of the state school system as it existed prior to the mid-twentieth century. includes language to limit access to the records of the modern human services departments. Countway has the first eighty years of operation of the institution through patient registries, admission record books, reports, and case books split into male and female volumes. The Harvard catalog entry for the Worcester Lunatic Asylum patient records is, Two cemeteries were used for the burials of Worcester hospital patients, Hillside West Cemetery and Hillside East Cemetery. Spotlight Team, "State Mental Hospitals Were Closed to Give People with Mental Illness Greater Access to Freedom but It Increased the Risk They'd Get No Care At All,", In the colonial period, the destitute were sent to live with unrelated families while the towns board of selectmen paid their room and board. Materials on the founding and operations of the Belchertown State School Friends Association. Attendants on the wards were overworked, with dozens of patients in each ward, and as a result their treatment of the residents was nothing short of atrocious. Massachusetts has over 400 years of European settlement. These records are also open records. In 1955, it became M.C.I. Defendants' motion to request the deletion of the Michael House from the renovation Schedule at Belchertown School. Pekinese Island is just to the north of Cuttyhunk. WebFax: (413) 323-0427. Jake Fletcher, Record Spotlight Massachusetts Department of Health, Institutional Registers, 1854-1918 on FamilySearch.org, posted 28 May 2016, FamilySearch (https://fletcherfamilytree.wordpress.com/2016/05/28/record-spotlight-massachusetts-department-of-health-institutional-registers-1854-1918-on-familysearch-org/). Mittimus files (copies of commitment warrants), 1840s 1940s; catalog link. The Belchertown State School for the Feebleminded was founded in Belchertown, Mass., in 1922 to provide long-term care for persons with developmental disabilities. WebCelilo Radiation Oncology is a well-established practice of twenty years focused on person-centered cancer treatment. (other than Russ Daniels case), arranged chronologically. The board kept records of commitment of all patients in institutions under their supervision, although this practice was not specifically mandated by law until 1898 (St 1898, c 433, s 8), Series consists of microfilmed admission and discharge forms returned weekly to the board's successors by state, federal, and private facilities in Massachusetts. e-mail, commonly used software applications, intranet/internet) 12287-18075; Jan. 1863-June 26, 1872), first section; Volume 2 (nos. Originals (sample only): 0.17 cubic ft. (1 doc. Call the Massachusetts State Archives for access guidelines, 617-727-2816. The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Parents sued the school, and when the state Attorney General toured the facility, he described it as "a hell hole.". Volume 3 (1905), second part,FHL DGS 8073427. Many annual reports are available on Google Books (www.books.google.com). Genealogists can access older patient or institutional registers. Amy permitted MGC to record her talk and to display it permanently on our Institutional Records page. For a contemporary discussion of Hannah Chickering and her mission, see Sarah E. Dexter, Dedham Temporary Home for Women and Children, Given by the Dedham Historical Society to the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University in February 1987; see, For a contemporary view, see William Pryor Letchworth, . The originals are held in the Massachusetts State Archives. The WorldCat link is here. In 1986, the Court stepped away from overseeing compliance with its decrees, ordering the establishment of an independent Office of Quality Assurance to ensure continued compliance. The Dept. Several independent organizations perform education and reform advocacy around the issues for which people were institutionalized. Belchertown For a look at conditions in the almshouse, see Lucile O'Connell, Caring for the Sick Poor: The State Almshouse at Bridgewater, 1854-1887 Bridgewater Review 3 (December 1984): 8-12. This economic development plan provides tax incentives to businesses who establish themselves on the site. Press the Shop button to find the many bookstores which sell Amy's book. Construction at Belchertown was authorized by the General Court in 1915 with an appropriation of $50,000 to purchase land. This means the information placed in a register at the time of admittance, such as name, residence, age, next of kin, etc. Mental retardation client information is restricted by statutory provision MGLA c123B, s 17. Chickering House in Dedham, about 1935, was the project of Hannah Chickering. 112 Fax: (413) 323-0427 Leprosy and Its Relation to Massachusetts. New England Journal of Medicine 173 (1915): 48-53. The original name when it was established in 1922 was the Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded, and and certain times in its history it was known for poor treatment of its charges. Box 670, Belchertown MA 01007 `X413) 323*0778 IV.D. Plan, The Developmentally Disabled: Civil Rights Issues, Final report of the Mass. Video Visit. One type are medical records. Today, we expect social services and public welfare to help families in need to stay in their own homes and lead normal lives. In Massachusetts, many older institutional registers are accessible to genealogists. For decades, the school operated with little public scrutiny, however changing attitudes toward disability and exposes of abhorrent conditions in psychiatric institutions gradually shifted the terrain. Both are on the southern end of the Elizabeth Islands in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. Almshouse Dept. In 1909 it became Bridgewater State Hospital. For a detailed finding aid to these manuscripts, download the 208-page pdf. Large institutions had cemeteries. The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Marcia Cini: Northampton State Hospital. Series includes a small sample of original forms, Admissions information includes patient name, number of previous commitments, inpatient registration no., by whose authority admitted, from where admitted, date, how supported, age, sex, marital status, birthplace, residence, occupation, and classification. When it closed, its patients were transferred to the, There are remains of residences, a laundry facility, and a cemetery with 14 residents buried there. (Pekinese Island History and Fun Facts,, http://www.penikese.org/penikese-island-history-and-fun-facts/, The graveyards tombstones are all photographed on Find A Grave, Honeij, James A. north bundaberg state high school; steven randall jackson net worth. The Northampton Lunatic Asylum became the Northampton State Hospital. Volume 1 (nos. ; also included is a cover letter from W. Jones, Tenth Quarterly Report on Occupational Therapy Initiatives in Higher Education and Related Areas, Video Cassette of WGBY-TV Production, "Nightalk", Belchertown State, "Human Policy, A Paper from the Center On", Narrative portions of the Department of Public Health Fire Safety Evaluation System surveys for Fernald, Monson, and Belchertown. The mentally ill in the early colonial period could be treated as witches or as felons or in the system developed for treating the destitute. Medical Beacon newspaper, 1960-1973; HS9.11/2560X. Go to Google Books and form a query that includes annual report and a year and the name of the institution. "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. 1902, Grafton, Worcester Farm Colony (part of the Worcester Lunatic Asylum), later called Grafton State Hospital. For access guidelines to restricted records, call the Massachusetts State Archives, 617-727-2816. 1854, Lancaster, Lancaster Industrial School for Girls. Sales page, For a look at conditions in the almshouse, see Lucile O'Connell, , In 1887, the workhouse became the Bridgewater State Farm. In researching institutionalized family members, the researcher should recognize that treatment considered humane and at the forefront of good care in 1870 was by 1980 considered inhumane. In 2001, a town meeting designated the school property as an Economic Opportunity Area for 20 years. Gosnold, Mass. Volume 6 (1867 1877), Internet Archive images, Volume 7 (1877 1888), Internet Archive images, Volume 8 (1889 1900), Internet Archive images, Volume 9 (1901 1910), Internet Archive images, Volume 10 (1910-1912), Internet Archive images. His name, she says, was John Kerry. It added the State Farm Hospital and took in prison inmates who were old, and state farm inmates who were mentally ill. Trespassing is not allowed on the property. Given by the Dedham Historical Society to the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University in February 1987; see catalog entry. See the Massachusetts State Archives full description of name changes, The State Farm Hospital Cemetery is partially posted on Find-A-Grave, Titicut Follies is a 1967 movie of conditions in Bridgewater State Hospital. This issue is available online to those with membership in the National Genealogy Society. Bridgewater judicial transfer files, 1968-1975; HS7.06/1303X. : Stoney Brook Pub., 1997. Boston: Eastburns Press, 1844. Orzechowski's first glimpse of Belchertown State School was in the mid-1960s. For access guidelines to restricted records, call the Massachusetts State Archives, 617-727-2816. Comm. Director's administrative files, 1959-1976; HS7.06/1295X. Its this story that has so much meaning when we share it with our family. To inform ourselves, we read about sailing across the ocean in steerage class, about cooking in a fireplace, or about building log cabins. of Mental Retardation records groups, listed in the same collection guide as above. Located on Thompsons Island. Images of Modern AmericaSeries, Arcadia Publishing, February 1, 2016. Hartnet, Ken. WebBelchertown Public Schools registration for enrollment in grades Kindergarten-12+ will be processed at our Central Office location. Volume 22, Medical records, 1882-1918, FHL DGS 7833946, item 3. Sales page here. The originals are held in the Massachusetts State Archives. The old state institutions have been dismantled or repurposed. 1882, Baldwinville, Hospital Cottages for Children,Baldwinville is an unincorporated village in Templeton. ARCHIVES | Danvers State Hospital Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Rebecca L. Kudron , M.Ed., Director of Student Support Services and Out of District Coordinator. It includes items that have been digitized as well as manuscript items. 1852, Tewskbury, State Almshouse at Tewksbury, later called Tewksbury State Hospital, Gravestones at the hospital (also known as The Pines Cemetery): 1884, Concord, Massachusetts Reformatory, later called M.C.I. The Massachusetts State Archives has a small amount of records related to Belchertown State School. More recent improvements have been the makeover of Foley Field into a baseball diamond for the local Little League team, and restoration of the overgrown cemetery (with numbers marking the graves) to appear cleaner and properly memorialize dead patients by name. Bridgewater. For a history of the states first hospital for the mentally ill, see Gerald Grob,The State and the Mentally Ill: A History of Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts, 18301920. Some have looked particularly at Massachusetts records. The bulk of the Schools Friends Association collection consists of records of court appearances, briefs, the consent decree, and related materials, along with reports and correspondence relating to Massachusetts v. Russell W. Daniels, Ricci v. Greenblatt (later Ricci v. Okin), and other cases. Also included on weekly returns is aggregate data including number of male and female patients, total number charged and admitted, Institutions include Belchertown State School, Boston Psychopathic Hospital (later Massachusetts Mental Health Center), Boston State Hospital, Bridgewater State Hospital, Danvers State Hospital, Walter E. Fernald State School, Foxborough State Hospital, Gardner State Hospital, Grafton State Hospital, Medfield State Hospital, Metropolitan State Hospital, Monson State Hospital, Norfolk State Hospital, Northampton State Hospital, Taunton State Hospital, Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary (later Tewksbury Hospital), Westborough State Hospital, Worcester State Hospital, and Wrentham State School; also U.S. Veterans Administration facilities in Bedford and Northampton and McLean Hospital and other private mental health and retardation facilities in Massachusetts, Patient admission records for public and private mental hospitals are contained in the following series: Institutional registers, 1863-1947 ((M-Ar)242); Weekly returns of admissions and discharges from institutions, 1916-1945 ((M-Ar)1502X); Admissions card files for state institutions, 1892-1954 ((M-Ar)997X). These are often used to locatepublic records under the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Act, although some provide for access to patient records. WebBaystate Medical Practices Quabbin Adult Medicine, Belchertown. Recommendation on Motion to Close buildings, Plaintiffs' objections to the Court Monitor's report and recommendations. With a deeper understanding, we can tell a more complete story to our family. Convict treatment case files, 1957-1961; Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.06/1294X. For example, the digital collection 8093555 has six different register books recorded on one microfilm and now a part of one digital image database. You'll get a message that it is disabled on other sites, Just click the Watch on YouTube choice to be able to view. Shirley. Although most state hospital cemeteries have markers that list only numbers, these cemeteries are exceptions as they include names and dates. Kaitlin Connolly, Old Massachusetts Hospital Records and Patient Files, posted 13 March 2017, State Library of Massachusetts Blog (http://mastatelibrary.blogspot.com/2017/03/old-massachusetts-hospital-records-and.html). Web14 Maple Street, P.O. of MHD of M Retardation office of training and resource Dev. Amy's story will inspire you to delve into this type of record to learn your family's story. One type are medical records. UMass/Boston has made her full work available online here. The leper (now called Hansens disease) hospital operated from 1905 to 1920, always under the same name. In 1975, Belchertown was sued once again for denying its patients the right to vote (this was one of the first disability-related voting rights cases in the United States), and in 1977 a case was brought against the school on behalf of a 67-year-old severely retarded man with leukemia to determine if a court appointed guardian ad litem could refuse treatment on his behalf. 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