The Fairview Training Center was a state-run facility 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 ...

Salem, Oregon Salem ( ) is the capital of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, which runs north through the city. The river ...

, United States. Fairview was established in 1907 as the State Institution for the Feeble-Minded. The hospital opened on December 1, 1908, with 39 patients transferred from the Oregon State Hospital for the Insane.Salem Online History
/ref> Before its closure in 2000, Fairview was administered by the

Oregon Department of Human Services The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) is the principal human services agency of the government of the U.S. state of Oregon. ODHS helps Oregonians achieve wellbeing and independence through opportunities that protect, empower, respect ch ...

(DHS). DHS continued to operate the Eastern Oregon State Hospital in Pendleton until October 31, 2009.

History

Early history

In 1907, the Oregon State Institution for the Feeble-Minded was created by the

Oregon State Legislature The Oregon Legislative Assembly is the state legislature for the U.S. state of Oregon. The Legislative Assembly is bicameral, consisting of an upper and lower house: the Senate, whose 30 members are elected to serve four-year terms; and the Ho ...

. It was established as a quasi-educational institution charged with educating the "

feeble-minded The term feeble-minded was used from the late 19th century in Europe, the United States and Australasia for disorders later referred to as illnesses or deficiencies of the mind. At the time, ''mental deficiency'' encompassed all degrees of educa ...

" (today known as people with

intellectual disability Intellectual disability (ID), also known as general learning disability in the United Kingdom and formerly mental retardation,Rosa's Law, Pub. L. 111-256124 Stat. 2643(2010). is a generalized neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by signifi ...

and various other developmental and

learning disabilities Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

) and caring for the "

idiot An idiot, in modern use, is a stupid or foolish person. 'Idiot' was formerly a technical term in legal and psychiatric contexts for some kinds of profound intellectual disability where the mental age is two years or less, and the person cannot ...

ic and

epileptic 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 electrical ...

." The facility was overseen by a board of trustees consisting of the

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, Secretary of State and

State Treasurer In the state governments of the United States, 48 of the 50 states have the executive position of treasurer. New York abolished the position in 1926; duties were transferred to New York State Comptroller. Texas abolished the position of Texas ...

. Construction had progressed enough by 1908 that the first patients were transferred from the Oregon State Insane Asylum (now the

Oregon State Hospital Oregon State Hospital is a public psychiatric hospital in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the state's capital city of Salem with a smaller satellite campus in Junction City opened in 2014. Founded in 1862 and constructed in the Kirkbride ...

). They resided on a compound consisting of an administration building (LeBreton Cottage), a dormitory, a laundry and boiler house. By 1913, two more cottages were constructed and the board of trustees was replaced by the Oregon State Board of Control. In 1917, a commitment law was passed that was to standardize admissions to the institution by insuring that valuable space was used for the "feeble-minded" and not for the "

insane Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors performed by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can be manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to ...

". It also imposed an age limit on admissions to people five years of age and older. The age limit was removed in 1921. The institution had a working farm that provided both food and training for its residents. By 1920, most of the land to be used for farming had been cleared. were planted in crops and in orchards. The farm also raised hogs, chickens, and dairy and beef cattle. In 1923, the legislature established the Oregon Board of Eugenics, and Fairview's superintendent served as an

ex-officio An ''ex officio'' member is a member of a body (notably a board, committee, council) who is part of it by virtue of holding another office. The term ''ex officio'' is Latin, meaning literally 'from the office', and the sense intended is 'by right ...

board member. The

eugenics Eugenics ( ; ) is a fringe set of beliefs and practices that aim to improve the genetic quality of a human population. Historically, eugenicists have attempted to alter human gene pools by excluding people and groups judged to be inferior or ...

legislation provided for the "sterilization of all feeble-minded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates, and sexual perverts who are a menace to society." Sterilizations required either the person's consent or a court order. By 1929, 300 residents had been sterilized. Two types of parole for residents were established in 1931: home parole and industrial parole. Requirements for parole included a

surety bond In finance, a surety , surety bond or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor to pay ...

filed by the parolee's guardian or overseer, who had to have a net worth of at least $1000 and have lived in the state for at least six months, the parolee had to be sterilized, and the home or workplace had to be inspected. Two-thirds of residents who had been sterilized were paroled, which freed up beds for new patients. In 1933 the facility was renamed Oregon Fairview Home. Changes in care and additions to the facility continued through the 1940s-1960s, and improvements were made to the medical care and nutrition of the residents. In 1965, Oregon Fairview Home was renamed Fairview Hospital and Training Center. In the late 1960s, the orchard, raising of beef, and general farm activities were eliminated. The raising of hogs was eliminated in 1975 and poultry processing ended in 1977. These activities had formerly provided all the ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, broiler chickens, and pork chops used by Fairview. In 1969, the Board of Control was dissolved and the Mental Health Division placed under the newly created Executive Department of the state government. In 1979, the facility changed its name from Fairview Hospital and Training Center to Fairview Training Center.

Modern history

Fairview was closed on March 1, 2000. A group known as Sustainable Fairview Associates purchased of the former Fairview grounds in 2002. The land included several historic buildings. In 2004, Sustainable Fairview Associates sold of their holdings to Sustainable Development Inc. for building Pringle Creek Community, a sustainable housing development. Pierce Cottage, one of several buildings remaining on the former Fairview site, was gutted by a fire of suspicious origin in January 2010. The building was one of 50 at the site previously slated for demolition and recycling. Two men were charged with arson in connection with the fire the next month. All remaining cottages were demolished in 2016.

Superintendents

* H.E. Bickers 1908-1912 * Frank E. Smith, M.D. 1913-1914 * J.H. Thompson, M.D. 1914-1915 * J.N. Smith, M.D. 1915-1929 * R.D. Byrd 1930-1938 * Horace G. Miller M.D. 1939-1944 * Ray M. Waltz, M.D. 1944-1946 * Irvin B. Hill, M.D. 1946-1959 * Jim Pomeroy, M.D. 1960-1970 * Larry W. Talkington, Ph.D. 1970-1976 * Jerry E. McGee, Ed.D. 1977-1987 * Linda K. Gustafson, Ph.D. 1989-1991 * Rosemary C. Hennessy 1991-1995 * Charles Farnham 1995-1997 * Jon E. Cooper M.B.A. 1997-2000

Cottages

The cottages on the grounds housed both staff and patients. Some of the structures were named after Oregon governors, including: * Benson Cottage - Frank W. Benson * Chamberlain Cottage -

George Earle Chamberlain George Earle Chamberlain Sr. (January 1, 1854 – July 9, 1928) was an American attorney, politician, and public official in Oregon. A native of Mississippi and member of the Democratic Party, Chamberlain's political achievements included appoin ...

* Lane Cottage -

Joseph Lane Joseph "Joe" Lane (December 14, 1801 – April 19, 1881) was an American politician and soldier. He was a state legislator representing Evansville, Indiana, and then served in the Mexican–American War, becoming a general. President James K. P ...

* Martin Cottage - Charles Martin * Meier Cottage -

Julius Meier Julius L. Meier (December 31, 1874 – July 14, 1937) was an American businessman, civic leader, and politician in the state of Oregon. The son of the Meier & Frank department store founder, he would become a lawyer before entering the family bu ...

* Pierce Cottage -

Walter M. Pierce Walter Marcus Pierce (May 30, 1861 – March 27, 1954) was an American politician, a Democrat, who served as the 17th Governor of Oregon and a member of the United States House of Representatives from . A native of Illinois, he served in the ...

(
image
') Destroyed by fire January 27, 2010 * Smith Cottage -

Elmo Smith Elmo Everett Smith (November 19, 1909July 15, 1968) was an American Republican politician who served as the 27th Governor of Oregon from 1956 to 1957. Early life Smith was born in Grand Junction, Colorado on November 19, 1909. At the age of ten ...

* Snell Cottage -

Earl Snell Earl Wilcox Snell (July 11, 1895 – October 28, 1947) was an American politician, businessman, and member of the Republican Party, serving in the Oregon House of Representatives, as the Oregon Secretary of State, and as the 23rd Governor of O ...

* Withycombe Cottage -

James Withycombe James Withycombe (March 21, 1854 – March 3, 1919) was an English-American Republican politician who served as the 15th Governor of Oregon. Biography Withycombe was born to tenant farmers Thomas and Mary Ann Withycombe in Tavistock, England, ...

Fairview in the media

*''Where's Molly?'' is a 2007 documentary about Molly Daly who was institutionalized at the Fairview Hospital and Training Center in the 1950s *'' Population: 2'' is a post-apocalyptic film that features Fairview heavily as a location and contains the last footage of the center taken before its dismantling began in 2011 *In the Shadow of Fairview - A documentary made by

OPB Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) is the primary television and radio public broadcasting network for most of the U.S. state of Oregon as well as southern Washington. OPB consists of five full-power television stations, dozens of VHF or UHF trans ...

. *Cold Case Files case of Janie Landers, Young woman who disappeared from Fairview featured on the show Cold Case Files.

References

External links

Historic images of Fairview
from Salem Public Library.
Images of abandoned structures at Fairview
from the

University of Oregon The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...

digital archives
''Where's Molly''
official website

from ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 185 ...

''
"Away from the Public Gaze": A History of the Fairview Training Center and the Institutionalization of People with Developmental Disabilities in Oregon
from The Teaching Research Institute at

Western Oregon University Western Oregon University (WOU) is a public university in Monmouth, Oregon. It was originally established in 1856 by Disciples of Christ pioneers as Monmouth University. Subsequent names included Oregon State Normal School, Oregon College of E ...

Photo essay of closed Fairview site
from

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

{{authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1908 Government buildings completed in 1908 Psychiatric hospitals in Oregon Hospitals established in 1908 Defunct hospitals in Oregon Special schools in the United States Developmental disabilities Boarding schools in Oregon Defunct state agencies of Oregon Education in Salem, Oregon 1908 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures demolished in 2016