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Laconia State School
In keeping
with the CSNI mission statement “to educate ourselves, the people we serve, and
the general public, about issues important to people with disabilities and their
families,” we have embarked on a project to keep alive the tragic saga of the
institutionalization of thousands of New Hampshire citizens labeled
“feebleminded.”
George
Santayana wrote in The Life of Reason, Vol. 1, 1905,"Those who
cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." In 1901 the New
Hampshire Legislature passed legislation to establish a state school for
“feebleminded” children. 60 children living in almshouses throughout the state
were admitted to the school in 1903. By 1973 1100 children and adults with
disabilities resided at t he institution, some living in sub-human conditions.
Thousands of New Hampshire citizens were confined to a life with no meaning or
hope for the future. Families were often cut off from friends, family and their
community. In the first half of this century eugenics was widely accepted and
practiced.
In 1991, with
the help of a federal class action law suit, the institution was closed and New
Hampshire became the first state to have no institutions for people with
developmental disabilities. This is a remarkable story worth telling. Using an
extensive collection of slides, artifacts, and video taped oral histories I will
trace the evolution and growth of the State's only institution for people with
developmental disabilities. The presentation will provide insight into the
principle features of society's values and changes in those values during the
Twentieth century. It will connect Laconia State School's institutional history
with larger social ideals and principles, which led to national trends and
social policy.
If you are
interested in this presentation please contact Gordon DuBois by calling
603-279-0379/229-1982 or you can email him at
forestpd@metrocast.net. The length and scope of the presentation can be
tailored to your desires. Gordon has been adjunct faculty at Southern Maine
University, University of New Hampshire, and New Hampshire Technical Colleges
and have been the primary archivist for the Laconia State School History
Project, housed at the NH Department of Records and Archives. He has lectured
extensively throughout New Hampshire and in several other states on
this subject.
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Upcoming Dates
June 10th -
Holderness Historical Society. 7:00pm, Curry Place, Holderness, NH
June 19th -
Madison Historical Society. 7:00 pm Madison NH
January 6, 2009
- Exeter Historical Society |
