Conceived in 1909 by the Indiana Knights of Columbus, and named for Fr.

Pierre Gibault Father Pierre Gibault (7 April 1737 – 16 August 1802) was a Jesuit missionary and priest in the Northwest Territory in the 18th century, and an American Patriot during the American Revolution. Frontier Missionary Gibault was born 7 April 1737 a ...

, the Gibault School for Boys was dedicated on October 9, 1921, in

Terre Haute, IN Terre Haute ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Vigo County, Indiana, United States, about 5 miles east of the state's western border with Illinois. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 60,785 and its metropolitan area had a ...

as a "home for wayward boys". The first director of the school was Rev. Michael Gorman.

History

The Indiana Knights of Columbus founded Father Gibault Home for Boys in 1921 and was originally administered by Priests of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis. As the facility quickly exceeded its original capacity of 25 boys, two new halls were added: Chartrand Hall was completed in 1922, and Aldering Hall in 1926. The staff was expanded in 1934, when the administration of the school turned over to the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Brothers of Holy Cross from

Notre Dame, IN Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three colleges: ...

. All administrators, teachers, counselors, and overseers where now employed by the Congregation of Holy Cross in partnership with the Indiana Knight. The first Holy Cross era director was Rupert Poudrier, and under his administration, the school was expanded to allow boys from every midwestern state. In 1936 there where 54 boys at Gibault. In an official report, Isaac McIntosh expressed the hope that the juvenile offernders could be returned to society as considerate and eager young man, who would be "fit in every way to fight the battle of life" after their rehabilitation. One of the priests was cited saying that most of the boys had suffered parental neglect, a lack of home training and an unfavorable environment, before their arrival at Gibault.

School corporal punishment School corporal punishment is the deliberate infliction of physical pain as a response to undesired behavior by students. The term corporal punishment derives from the Latin word for the "body", . In schools it may involve striking the student on ...

was still normal, when

Charles Manson Charles Milles Manson (; November 12, 1934November 19, 2017) was an American criminal and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of nine murders at four loca ...

was admitted in 1947. According to him the punishment for any kind of infraction included beatings which were performed either with a wooden paddle or a leather strap. Today, Gibault, Inc. is known as Gibault Children's Services. Gibault serves both boys and girls at three locations and employs over 250 staff members.

Notable former students

After committing his first crimes as a juvenile offender,

William Heirens William George Heirens (November 15, 1928 – March 5, 2012) was an American criminal and possible serial killer who "confessed" to three murders. He was subsequently controversially convicted of the crimes in 1946. Heirens was called the Lipstic ...

, who became known as the Lipstick Killer, was sentenced to attend the school for one year by a juvenile court in the early 1940s. At the age of 12,

was sent to Gibault after he was found guilty for stealing in 1947. Manson ran away, before his time at the school was officially terminated.

References

External links

Gibault Children's Services

Indiana Knights of Columbus - Gibault
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