The Mansfield Training School and Hospital was a

state school State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary educational institution, schools that educate all students without charge. They are ...

for people with

developmental disabilities Developmental disability is a diverse group of chronic conditions, comprising mental or physical impairments that arise before adulthood. Developmental disabilities cause individuals living with them many difficulties in certain areas of life, espe ...

located in Mansfield,

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. It was active from 1860 to 1993. Its former campus, located at the junction of

Connecticut Route 32 Route 32 is a primary north–south state highway in the U.S. state of Connecticut, beginning in New London and continuing via Willimantic to the Massachusetts state line, where it continues as Route 32 in that state. Route des ...

and

United States Route 44 U.S. Route 44 (US 44) is an east–west United States Numbered Highway that runs for through four states in the Northeastern United States. The western terminus is at US 209 and New York State Route 55 (NY 55) in Kerhonkso ...

in Mansfield is a historic district that was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1987.

History

The hospital opened in Lakeville in 1860 as the Connecticut School for Imbeciles at Lakeville. Its name was changed to the Connecticut Training School for the Feebleminded at Lakeville in 1915. Two years later, it merged with the Connecticut Colony for Epileptics (founded at Mansfield in 1910) and acquired its present name. When it opened in 1917, the merged institution had 402 students in residence. By 1932, the resident population had grown to 1,070. During the Depression and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, demand for its services increased, resulting in both overcrowding and long waiting lists for new enrollments. The institution was also hit hard by the

Spanish Influenza The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

epidemic of 1918/1919, around 200 out of 300 patients contracted the Spanish Flu. 30 would die and all care would be placed onto one doctor, Dr. LaMoure, and one nurse. Staffing levels increased during the 1960s as philosophies on the treatment of mental disability changed, and there were 1,609 residents and 875 full-time staff as of 1969. During the 1970s and 1980s, many residents were relocated from

dormitories A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...

to on-campus cottages or to

group home A group home, congregate living facility, or care home (the latter especially in British English and Australian English) is a residence model of medical care for those with complex health needs. Traditionally, the model has been used for children ...

s located around the state. By 1976 the resident population had dropped to 1,106, and by 1991 just 141 people remained as residents. In 1993, after numerous

lawsuit - A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...

s concerning the conditions of the hospital, Mansfield Training School was closed and its patients sent to

outpatient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other health care ...

facilities and other institutions.Juliane Silver (2010)
Finding Aid RG 170:001, Mansfield Training School Inventory of Records
Connecticut State Library website. Revised November 29, 2010. After the closure, some dilapidated buildings were demolished. Other buildings were split between the

Bergin Correctional Institution Bergin Correctional Institution was a low-security state prison for men in Storrs, Connecticut. It was built in 1988 as the Northeast Correctional Institution and received its first inmates on 13, 1989. After briefly closing in 1997 and reopening ...

and the

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from H ...

Abuse

The school has had a number of abuse and mistreatment allegations, Glady Burr, for example, filed a lawsuit in 1979 for $125 million because of the abuse she faced. She claimed denial of civil rights as well as being used to slavery. She was also wrongfully committed to the facility, her mother did not want to care for her and had tests on her mental state manipulated. She was awarded $235K. The 1978 lawsuit Conn. CARC v. Thorne alleged unconstitutional treatment of patients. This included subpar living conditions, care quality, and residential placement. The state of Connecticut would continue investigation into the 90s when they found DNR (do not resuscitate) labels being inappropriately placed on patients. This would lead the downfall of the institution. Residents would be moved to community-oriented homes, representing a new approach to the treatment of disabled people emerging. There was a shift towards placing disabled people into the community, instead of outcasting them around this time. The institution utilized "treatment" now understood as cruel, such as straightjacket and lobotomies. There are also, of course, local rumors about the facility from hauntings to other abuse of patients.

Historic district

The "Mansfield Training School and Hospital" was listed on the

in 1987. The listed area was and included 53 contributing buildings and seven non-contributing buildings. The majority of the contributing buildings were institutional buildings built between 1914 and 1930, all designed by the same architectural firm. and Also, the district included a

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

that was operated beginning in 1909. The farm supplied the institution with most of its food and provided occupational therapy for people with

epilepsy Epilepsy is a group of non-communicable neurological disorders characterized by recurrent epileptic seizures. Epileptic seizures can vary from brief and nearly undetectable periods to long periods of vigorous shaking due to abnormal electrica ...

, as farm labor was deemed to prevent

epileptic seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with los ...

s. Children housed in the institution hand-molded the

concrete block A concrete masonry unit (CMU) is a standard-size rectangular block used in building construction. CMUs are some of the most versatile building products available because of the wide variety of appearances that can be achieved using them. Tho ...

s used to construct

barn A barn is an agricultural building usually on farms and used for various purposes. In North America, a barn refers to structures that house livestock, including cattle and horses, as well as equipment and fodder, and often grain.Allen G. ...

s on the farm property. The caretaker's residence was featured on the SyFy channel's ''

Paranormal Witness ''Paranormal Witness'' is an American paranormal documentary television series made by a British production company which described itself as "true tales of supernatural hauntings and explanation-defying paranormal experiences, which are brought ...

'' on September 28, 2011, as a location of alleged paranormal activity.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansfield Training School And Hospital Hospital buildings completed in 1860 Government buildings completed in 1860 Mansfield, Connecticut Psychiatric hospitals in Connecticut Hospitals established in 1860 Defunct hospitals in Connecticut Buildings and structures in Tolland County, Connecticut Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Greek Revival architecture in Connecticut Victorian architecture in Connecticut Historic districts in Tolland County, Connecticut National Register of Historic Places in Tolland County, Connecticut Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut Hospital buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut 1860 establishments in Connecticut University of Connecticut

History

Abuse

Historic district

See also

References