Why did Belchertown State School Close?
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….
| Belchertown State School | |
|---|---|
| Closed | December 31, 1992 |
Can you visit Belchertown State School?
Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, Massachusetts. Throughout its first 40 years, Belchertown operated mostly without scrutiny from outside sources.
Is Belchertown State School still standing?
Belchertown State School closed in 1992. Multiple companies have put forward development plans for the property, but the dilapidated site contains hazardous materials and is in need of a clean-up. For now, the old buildings sit abandoned and overgrown, acting as somber monuments to their mistreated child residents.
What is Belchertown State School?
The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was founded in 1922. The 845 acre campus comprising some 57 buildings must be called scenic, if nothing else—the Holyoke Range is visible from the campus, and many of the original structures were old farmhouse cottages (five farms were purchased to build the school).
What does F stand for in Belchertown State School?
A view of the hallway outside of the auditorium. “Belchertown State School… F or the Care and Custody of Feeble Minded Persons,” was the full name of the quasi-hospital when it was completed in May of 1922, the third of its kind in Massachusetts.
Is Belchertown ‘a warehouse for humans’?
“T he State School in Belchertown ,” a judge that later became central in the facility’s history, Joseph L. Tauro, often said, “ is a warehouse for humans.
What was life like at Belchertown?
Throughout its first 40 years, Belchertown operated mostly without scrutiny from outside sources. Author Benjamin Ricci (whose son lived at the school, and who later led a class-action lawsuit protesting the conditions there) referred to the conditions as “horrific,” “medieval,” and “barbaric.”