The Mabley Developmental Center is a
state institution for people with developmental disabilities located in
Dixon, Illinois
Dixon is a city in Lee County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 15,274 as of the 2020 census. The city is named after founder John Dixon, who operated a rope ferry service across the Rock River (Mississippi River ...
. It is named for
Jack Mabley
Jack Arnold Mabley (October 26, 1915 – January 6, 2006) was an American newspaper reporter and columnist.
Early life and career
Mabley was born on October 26, 1915, in Binghamton, New York, to Clarence Ware Mabley (born Clarence Ware Mable) a ...
, a Chicago columnist, in recognition of his unstinting support for the project.
In 1899, the Illinois General Assembly authorized the creation of the Illinois State Colony for Epileptics under the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities. However, no funds for construction and operation were appropriated until 1913.
In 1909, the Board of Administration replaced the Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities. The Board selected a site north of Dixon and the colony opened on May 1, 1918.
In 1917, the Department of Public Welfare assumed responsibility for the colony and retained control until the creation of the Department of Mental Health in 1961 (L. 1961, p. 2666), which was called the Dixon State School at the time. In 1921, the duties of the institution expanded to include care for the developmentally delayed, and 158 clients were transferred from the
Lincoln State School to alleviate overcrowding there. To reflect this change, the colony was renamed Dixon State Hospital and later Dixon State School. In 1927, the state opened a school for practical nursing at the institution. In 1975, the General Assembly changed its name to the Dixon Developmental Center.
In the 1950s, journalist Jack Mabley ran a series of columns exposing the conditions at Dixon State School. His reporting was part of the reason why the hospital was closed.
In 1983, the grounds were repurposed for a state prison, Dixon Correctional Center.
In 1987, Mabley Developmental Center, named after Jack Mabley, was opened.
Today
The Mabley Developmental Center focuses exclusively on the developmentally disabled. At the end of fiscal year 2009, Mabley had 136.4 employees and an annual appropriation of $10,584,400.
References
External links
Mabley Developmental Center – GRFasylumprojects.org, Dixon State School
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Hospital buildings completed in 1918
Psychiatric hospitals in Illinois
Dixon, Illinois
Buildings and structures in Lee County, Illinois
1918 establishments in Illinois