Pineland Farms is a 5,000-acre farm and recreational property in the eastern part of

New Gloucester, Maine New Gloucester is a town in Cumberland County, Maine, in the United States. It is home to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village, the last active Shaker village in the U.S. The town's population was 5,676 at the 2020 census. New Gloucester is part ...

. It is partly on the site of the former Pineland Hospital and Training Center.

History

In the early part of the 20th century, the State of Maine purchased six farms in

, which became known as Pineland Farms. The purpose of this purchase was to build the Maine School for the Feeble Minded on part of the land and continue farming on the rest of it.

The Maine School for the Feeble-Minded and Pownal State School

Opening in 1908, the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded was an institution that housed people who were considered mentally unfit by the standards of that day; however, during its early years, the State also placed

orphans An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

and other wards of the state at the Maine School, as no other public services existed to help them. In 1913, a local committee expressed concerns that the State had purchased Pineland Farms solely as a commercial venture, and that the location did not meet the needs of the Maine school. The committee suggested that the State move the school to a better location. Supporters of the Maine School, including mental health expert Dr. Walter E. Fernald and local doctor Seth C. Gordon, stated that while the agricultural fields of Pineland Farms did generate revenue, they also had therapeutic value. They would, as Gordon said, "keep these poor unfortunates employed and do them good." Note: Though the 1913 Lewiston Evening Journal reference doesn't indicate Fernald's first name, it does say that he ran the Massachusetts School for the Feeble Minded. Cross-checking that against this citation, ''Maine Biographies'', should confirm that Walter E. Fernald was the doctor in question. Maine School supporters also said that with some improvements, such as the installation of an additional artesian well, Pineland Farms could meet all the needs of its patients. In 1912, the state of Maine removed eight residents from

Malaga Island Malaga Island is a island at the mouth of the New Meadows River in Casco Bay, Maine, United States. It was the site of an interracial community from the American Civil War until 1911, when the residents were forcibly evicted from the island. It ...

off of Phippsburg, known for its mixed-race community, and placed them at the Maine School for the Feeble-Minded, where most remained for the rest of their lives. The bodies in Malaga's cemetery were removed and reinterred near the School, at the rear of Webber Cemetery on Intervale Road, with several bodies being placed into three unmarked graves. In 1921, a resident described as

deaf mute Deaf-mute is a term which was used historically to identify a person who was either deaf and used sign language or both deaf and could not speak. The term continues to be used to refer to deaf people who cannot speak an oral language or have som ...

with

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

tendencies escaped from the Maine School. After burning two barns near North Yarmouth, the escapee was captured by local residents and returned to the school. In 1925, Maine was the 25th state to pass a sterilization law, which stated that sterilization was permitted "for eugenic purposes or for therapeutic treatment on feebleminded and others suffering from certain forms of mental disease"; 189 patients were sterilized at the school. That year the state changed the school name to "Pownal State School". The old title, with its reference to 'feeble minded", was considered insensitive to the patients. At its peak residency in the 1930s, the Pownal School housed an estimated 1,500 patients.

Pineland Center

In 1953, Peter W. Bowman became the superintendent of the Pownal State School, which in 1957 became the Pineland Hospital and Training Center. This name would be shortened to Pineland Center in the early 1970s. Over the next 18 years, Pineland Center received national recognition for the care of the mentally disabled. In the 1970s, political intrusion and budget cuts ushered in a series of administrators who were poorly equipped to manage Pineland Center and advocate for its residents and underpaid staff. The facility deteriorated and quality care for its residents was largely abandoned. In 1976, due to worsening conditions and allegations of patient abuse, the Federal government placed Pineland Hospital into

receivership In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in c ...

. As social attitudes towards the mentally disabled evolved, many Pineland Center residents were reintegrated into society. The most able of the hospital population were re-homed into apartments in the 1990s. Many advocates for the homeless noted that Maine's local transient population began to grow during this period as Pineland and other facilities released their residents. Routine care and therapy for these former residents ended and they drifted from their new homes. By June 1995, approximately sixty patients remained at Pineland Hospital. In 1996, Pineland Center was closed.

Recreational property

In 2000, the

Libra Foundation The Libra Foundation is among the largest charitable organizations in the state of Maine. Major projects include Pineland Farms, the Maine Winter Sports Center, and The MaineHealth Raising Readers program. The October Corporation is an affiliate ...

purchased Pineland Farms. At that time, the property included 1600 acres (6.5 km²) and 28 buildings. Most of Pineland Farms was being used for agriculture. The foundation extensively renovated the property, adding businesses, trails and recreational areas. As of 2013, Pineland Farms encompassed approximately 5,000 (20.23 km²) acres and was being used primarily as a public recreation area.

Trail system

The trail system at Pineland Farms is approximately 15.5 miles (25 km) long. The Libra Foundation renovated much of Pineland Farms into

cross-country ski Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing where skiers rely on their own locomotion to move across snow-covered terrain, rather than using ski lifts or other forms of assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreation ...

trails, which are used for a variety of other seasonal activities, such as

trail running Trail running is a sport-activity which combines running, and, where there are steep gradients, hiking, that is run "on any unpaved surface". It is similar to both mountain and fell running (also known as hill running). Mountain running may, h ...

, mountain biking, and cyclo-cross. The Pineland Farm trails are also used for collegiate

cross country running Cross country running is a sport in which teams and individuals run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain such as dirt or grass. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open cou ...

races and training. It is the home course for

Bates College Bates College () is a private liberal arts college in Lewiston, Maine. Anchored by the Historic Quad, the campus of Bates totals with a small urban campus which includes 33 Victorian Houses as some of the dormitories. It maintains of nature p ...

and has been the host site for the Maine state college championships. Pineland Farms is also used for orienteering events, such as the National Orienteering Championships, which were held at Pineland in 2004. Two significant disc golf courses are operated by Pineland Farms as part of its recreational offerings.

Other facilities

Wilsondale Farm Wilsondale Farm is a dairy farm in Gray, Maine, United States. It is notable for its introduction of a specific breed of Holstein cow. It was originally known as Springdale Farm. The farm, of , was purchased by New Gloucester's Pineland Farms ...

, in

Gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed o ...

, is the source for Pineland's Trina Holstein breed. Pineland used the "Wilsondale" prefix on the product until 2001. Pineland Farms purchased two Highland cows in 2023. Bates College formerly operated a

Dutch Warmblood A Dutch Warmblood is a warmblood type of horse registered with the Koninklijk Warmbloed Paardenstamboek Nederland (Royal Warmblood Studbook of the Netherlands (KWPN), which governs the breeding of competitive dressage and show jumping horse ...

horse breeding at Pineland's Equestrian Center, which opened in 2002. Until 2008, an Equine-assisted therapy program was hosted at the center. Pineland's dressage program ended in 2017 and moved to another facility nearby; a private Morgan horse training and breeding facility replaced it."Ride of her life"
'' Sun Journal'', September 24, 2017 The Libra Foundation rents out meeting facilities and

guest houses A guest house (also guesthouse) is a kind of lodging. In some parts of the world (such as the Caribbean), guest houses are a type of inexpensive hotel-like lodging. In others, it is a private home that has been converted for the exclusive use ...

at Pineland Farms. It sells food grown at Pineland Farms to the general public.

References

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External links

Pineland Farms
Buildings and structures in Cumberland County, Maine Farms in Cumberland County, Maine New Gloucester, Maine Education in Cumberland County, Maine