belchertown state school patient records

*, Bridgewater judicial transfer files, 1968-1975; HS7.06/1303X.*. ; also included is a cover letter from W. Jones, Tenth Quarterly Report on Occupational Therapy Initiatives in Higher Education and Related Areas, Video Cassette of WGBY-TV Production, "Nightalk", Belchertown State, "Human Policy, A Paper from the Center On", Narrative portions of the Department of Public Health Fire Safety Evaluation System surveys for Fernald, Monson, and Belchertown. Located at 30 State Street, the 876-acre (3.55 km2) campus contains ten major buildings built in a Colonial Revival style by Kendall, Taylor, and Co. 72-469-T, Affidavits by Superintendent Jones concerning the condition of certain buildings and plans for the placement of residents at Belchertown State School, and one by Commissioner Mills, Defendants response to the Report to the Court filed by the U.S. District Court Monitor on June 18, 1982, Affidavit of William T. Hogan Jr., Secretary of Human Services, Motion to Strike the Affidavit of William T. Hogan, Jr., Relative to Plaintiffs' Motion to Close Buildings C, E, F, G, and Infirmary at Belchertown State School, Plaintiffs' Opposition to Defendants' Motion to Excuse Secretary Bartley, Secretary Hogan, Jr., and Commissioner Mills from the Court Hearing Scheduled for September 24, 1982. They are held elsewhere. From 1918 to 1922, it operated as a farm colony of the Wrentham State School, opening formally in November 1922 with the transfer of nearly 200 boys from the older schools. 1,117 likes. These records are also open records. 1-3353--May 1, 1872-Oct. 7, 1887), second section for paupers in the care of the workhouse; catalog link. Many annual reports are available on Google Books (www.books.google.com). June 15: closing at noon for library staff event Pekinese Island is just to the north of Cuttyhunk. Titicut Follies is a 1967 movie of conditions in Bridgewater State Hospital. Bridgewater. We figure out how our ancestors built up their lives in the U.S. to bring us to where we are today. Those who were severely physically handicapped were left in their beds the entire day, without any form of entertainment. It might contain a picture of the facility, the numbers of admissions and discharges and deaths, an overall description of the facility, and even a list of the treatments offered. Press the Shop button to find the many bookstores which sell Amy's bookFinding Emma: My Search for the Family My Grandfather Never Knew. Since I couldn't ask him to speak up or repeat what he said, he assumed I was a moron. Belchertown State School, Belchertown, Massachusetts. UMass/Boston has made her full work available online, Volumes 1 and 2 (1800-1864) original records,FHL DGS, Volumes1 and 2 transcribed by Ann S. Lainhart with notations,UMass/Boston. In 1909 it became Bridgewater State Hospital. box), Copies: 0.74 cubic ft. (148 microfilm reels ; 16 mm), In two subseries: (1) Public institutions (2) Private institutions; arranged within each subseries by institution, thereunder chronologically, then by patient no, Patient records created by state institutions were sent to the Board of State Charities from its 1863 creation, primarily to track how patients were supported financially. Find-A-Grave has Hillside West Cemetery here; and Hillside East Cemetery here. In 1969 the state of Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court determined that the film could not be shown in Massachusetts because if its gritty and humiliating content. WebView the extensive Don LaBrecque collection of historic images of Belchertown along with images of many other state institutions in New England. Parents sued the school, and when the state Attorney General toured the facility, he described it as "a hell hole.". Norfolk. The policy there is to allow access after a period of time, generally 75 years, but this archives period is not set in the Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.). For more information, see Visit SCUA. Click on this video. Office Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Rebecca L. Kudron , M.Ed., Director of Student Support Services and Out of District Coordinator. Abandoned Asylums of Massachusetts. The Northampton Lunatic Asylum became the Northampton State Hospital. WebBelchertown Internal Medicine. Sales page, For a look at conditions in the almshouse, see Lucile O'Connell, , In 1887, the workhouse became the Bridgewater State Farm. Beacon newspaper, 1960-1973; HS9.11/2560X. Also included on weekly returns is aggregate data including number of male and female patients, total number charged and admitted, Institutions include Belchertown State School, Boston Psychopathic Hospital (later Massachusetts Mental Health Center), Boston State Hospital, Bridgewater State Hospital, Danvers State Hospital, Walter E. Fernald State School, Foxborough State Hospital, Gardner State Hospital, Grafton State Hospital, Medfield State Hospital, Metropolitan State Hospital, Monson State Hospital, Norfolk State Hospital, Northampton State Hospital, Taunton State Hospital, Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary (later Tewksbury Hospital), Westborough State Hospital, Worcester State Hospital, and Wrentham State School; also U.S. Veterans Administration facilities in Bedford and Northampton and McLean Hospital and other private mental health and retardation facilities in Massachusetts, Patient admission records for public and private mental hospitals are contained in the following series: Institutional registers, 1863-1947 ((M-Ar)242); Weekly returns of admissions and discharges from institutions, 1916-1945 ((M-Ar)1502X); Admissions card files for state institutions, 1892-1954 ((M-Ar)997X). Daily schedules and diaries, 1911-1955; catalog link. For more information about Belchertown, there is a book entitled Crimes Against Humanity: A Historical Perspective. Large institutions had cemeteries. Federal funds requested: i. Still later the state built large almshouses and workhouses. The records of the institution have been deposited at UMass/Boston; the finding aid is here. 413.545.SCUA (413-545-7282), Dept. Years of growing concern over the conditions at the School and a series of lawsuits brought by Benjamin Ricci, the father of a patient at the school and a Professor of Kinesiology at UMass Amherst, the School was closed in 1992. When it closed, its patients were transferred to the, There are remains of residences, a laundry facility, and a cemetery with 14 residents buried there. (Pekinese Island History and Fun Facts,, http://www.penikese.org/penikese-island-history-and-fun-facts/, The graveyards tombstones are all photographed on Find A Grave, Honeij, James A. On behalf of his son, Robert Simpson Ricci, and others at the school, Ben Ricci filed a class action suit in the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts on February 7, 1972 (Ricci v Milton Greenblatt et al. For access to those records, contact Ms Bridget Kearney, Health Information Services, Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital, 309 Belmont Street, Worcester, MA 01604, telephone 508-368-3701. Bridgewater. UMass/Boston has made her full work available online here. Volume 1 (nos. Linda Hall-Little, 52 Ancestors Week #29 Update of The Insane, posted 28 July 2014, Passage to the Past's Blog (https://passagetothepast.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/52-ancestors-week-29-update-of-the-insane/). Fax: 413-923-9308. The Belchertown State School for the Feebleminded was founded in Belchertown, Mass., in 1922 to provide long-term care for persons with developmental disabilities. Admit/discharge logs, 1896-1955; catalog link. An interesting statement, since Senator Kerry graduated from Yale in 1966, and served in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970. In 1955, it became M.C.I. That library is the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard University School of Medicine, 10 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115. WebBelchertown State School, Belchertown, Massachusetts. For information on its closure in 2010, see Lee Hamel, Westborough State Hospital Set to Close, Telegram and Gazette, Worcester, Mass., Sunday, 11 April 2010. The Belchertown State School Friends Association was established in 1954 to promote improved conditions at Belchertown State School and better treatment of retarded or mentally challenged citizens in Massachusetts more generally. The modest building is closely modeled on its 1915 predecessor at the Wrentham State School. In 2001, a town meeting designated the school property as an Economic Opportunity Area for 20 years. Each microfilm has one or more items on it. Accessing these records means that we should understand two things: (1) the historical context of these illnesses, disabilities, and treatments because they differ so much from those of today, and (2) the laws and regulations pertaining to our ability to access these records. For registers for private hospitals, see: Massachusetts Commission on Mental Diseases. It became known for inhumane conditions and poor treatment of its patients, and became the target of a series of lawsuits prior to its eventual closing in 1992. Orzechowski's first glimpse of Belchertown State School was in the mid-1960s. WebShowing 5 records of 54 Criminal Records & Traffic Violations that matched the name Kim Miller: Disclaimer: By using this website, you accept the Spokeo Terms of Use. Although the stones contain only numbers, names have been associated with several burials and some families have installed normal gravestones. of Mental Diseases (St 1919, c 350, ss 79-81), and Dept. e-mail, commonly used software applications, intranet/internet) 1905, Penikese Island, Gosnold, Penikese Hospital. Go to Google Books and form a query that includes annual report and a year and the name of the institution. Special Article: "From Asylum to Community: The Threatened Disintegration of Public Psychiatry", Report to the Court: District Court Monitor. For access guidelines to restricted records, call the Massachusetts State Archives, 617-727-2816. Although most state hospital cemeteries have markers that list only numbers, these cemeteries are exceptions as they include names and dates. A. Prentice, State Lunatic Hospital, Annual Report of the Trustees of the State Lunatic Hospital at Worcester, October 1867 (Boston: Dutton and Wentworth, 1867), frontispiece. Our first patients 1921Painting crew 1930Working the wards 1973Photos from the JEFF ALBERTSON PHOTOGRAPH COLLECTION1972 Established in 1922, Belchertown State School was in operation until a series of lawsuits led to its eventual closing in 1992. May 26, UMass Amherst Commencement: closed Another book with vivid descriptions of Belchertown is Ruth Sienkiewicz-Mercer's I Raise My Eyes to Say Yes; she was a resident of the school in the 1960s and 1970s. These are often used to locatepublic records under the Massachusetts Freedom of Information Act, although some provide for access to patient records. The Belchertown State School Friends Association was established in 1954 to promote improved conditions at Belchertown State School and better treatment of "retarded" or "mentally challenged" citizens in Massachusetts. For conditions of access, consult the Massachusetts State Archives. Several independent organizations perform education and reform advocacy around the issues for which people were institutionalized. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Sienkiewicz-Mercer's book refers to a young male nurse who worked at Belchertown in the late 1960s and early 1970s who later became a junior senator from Massachusetts. The Massachusetts State Archives has a small amount of records related to Belchertown State School. 1848, South Boston (Watertown; after 1887, later Waltham), Massachusetts School for Idiotic and Feebleminded Youth, later called Walter E. Fernald State School, Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center. Belchertown State School formally closed in 1992. Narrative Information Sheet 1. For a history of the states first hospital for the mentally ill, see Gerald Grob, The State and the Mentally Ill: A History of Worcester State Hospital in Massachusetts, 18301920, The earliest Worcester hospital records are held in a private librarys offsite storage. The leper (now called Hansens disease) hospital operated from 1905 to 1920, always under the same name. Applicant: Belchertown Economic Development and Industrial Corporation 2 Jabish Street Town Hall Belchertown, MA 01007 2. 1-12286; May 1, 1854-Dec. 31, 1862); Massachusetts State Archives; Volume 2 (nos. includes language to limit access to the records of the modern human services departments. WebFax: (413) 323-0427. The records that we access are under the authority of the Massachusetts Secretary of State through the Massachusetts State Archives at Columbia Point in Boston. It includes items that have been digitized as well as manuscript items. Volume 1 (1886-1891),FHL DGS 8093554, item 3, Volume 2 (1891-1898),FHL DGS 8093554, item 4, Volume 3 (1898-1905), first part,FHL DGS 8093554, item 5, Volume 3 (1905), second part,FHL DGS 8073427, item 1, Volume 5 (1910-1915),FHL DGS 8073427, item 2, Volume 6 (1915-1918),FHL DGS 8073427, item 3, Volume 16 (1886-1891), first part,FHL DGS 7833945, item 8, Volume 16 (1891-1902), last part,FHL DGS 8093555, item 1, Volume 17 (1902-1907),FHL DGS 8093555, item 2, Inpatient commitment registers, 1886-1926,Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.04/1115X*, Inpatient case files, 1886-1960, 1970-1977, Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.04/173X*, Inpatient histories, 1886-1892, Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.04/278X. Volume 22, Medical records, 1882-1918, FHL DGS 7833946, State Alms House, Bridgewater, Mass., from The Old Print Shop, New York City. Sales page here. See also the Worcester Farm Colony in Grafton. : Stoney Brook Pub., 1997. In addition to U.S. HIPAA regulations, Massachusetts General Law (M.G.L.) There are remains of residences, a laundry facility, and a cemetery with 14 residents buried there. (Pekinese Island History and Fun Facts, http://www.penikese.org/penikese-island-history-and-fun-facts/.). Volume 2 (nos. Volumes 1 and 2 (1800-1864) original records,FHL DGS 7943178(image may only be viewed at a Family History Center or Affiliate Library. Admit/discharge logs, 1896-1955; catalog link. For a contemporary account, see Reminiscences of the Boston Female Asylum. *, Convict treatment case files, 1957-1961; Massachusetts State Archives, record group HS7.06/1294X. The second type of record is registration information. OFFICE HOURS Office hours: Mon-Fri, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. There are several books that provide background on the evolving concepts of what was considered good care and on the poor conditions in these institutions. The following video is a fifty-four minute video on the history surround Belchertown State School created by Arbez Productions. Massachusetts General Law often prohibits providing patient information for patients in the modern department system. Spread over 800 bucolic acres, Belchertown opened in 1922 as a self-sustaining, progressive institution for the feeble-minded, but by the 1950s it is a place of squalor, neglect, and abuse. Marcia Cini: Northampton State Hospital. 1907, North Reading, North Reading State Sanatorium, later called Berry Rehab Center. 1830, Worcester, Worcester State Lunatic Hospital, later called Worcester State Hospital, Worcester State Hospital and Womens Lunatic Asylum, Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. Benjamin Ricci served as President of the Association during the time of his lawsuits, 1970-1977, and as Chairman of the Board thereafter, 1977-1992. . Director's administrative files, 1959-1976; HS7.06/1295X. Admit/discharge logs, 1956-1988; HS9.11/2536X. Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary (Mass. When it began using physicians from regular medical schools in 1939, it became like other hospitals. Persons with mental disabilities--Institutional care--Massachusetts, Highway indexes (Hampshire Council of Governments), https://www.sec.state.ma.us/arc/arcpdf/collection-guides/FA_HS.pdf, Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center. And while few parents would want to send their child to live in squalor and suffer abuse, many felt they had no other choice as there was simply nowhere else for a child with severe disabilities to go. *Deemed restricted. WebAbility to perform basic data entry into the patient's electronic medical records. CONTACT Phone: 413-323-7700. 1,117 likes. 1-3353--May 1, 1872-Oct. 7, 1887), second section for paupers in the care of the workhouse; Persons supported at the State Primary School, Monson, and at the State Workhouse, Bridgewater, 1872-1882; Bond books for transfer of cadavers to medical schools, 1893-1944; Photographs of facilities and activities, ca. WebStories: Street: To be used for: School Class: Owner: Town of Belchertown Architect name: Bernhard Dirks Architect address: Greenfield, Massachusetts Inspector: J. E. Powers 1953-02-06 Belchertown Junior Senior High School "The child above was boarded out by the Boston Children's Aid Society because her mother was ill." Placing-out, The Adoption History Project, Department of History, University of Oregon, Eugene. ), asserting that conditions at the school violated the statutory and constitutional rights of its residents, including the right to minimally adequate care and treatment. 1839, South Boston, Boston Lunatic Hospital, later called Boston Insane Hospital, Boston State Hospital. The Mental Health and Retardation Services Act in Massachusetts (1966) marked the beginning of a systematic effort to shift away from institutionalization as a response to developmental and psychiatric disability toward community-based care. Accompanying the legal files are clippings and photocopied newspaper articles; speeches; newsletters; draft of agreements; and scrapbooks. With a deeper understanding, we can tell a more complete story to our family. Web[*729] [**419] On April 26, 1976, William E. Jones, superintendent of the Belchertown State School (a facility of the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health), and Paul R. Rogers, a staff attorney at the school, petitioned the Probate Court for Hampshire County for the appointment of a guardian of Joseph Saikewicz, a resident of the State school. Commonwealth v. Russell W. Daniels, Series 3. Although a private enterprise, it received heavy state support. 26, 1971. Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, Dec. 2015. Volume 18 (1877-1906),FHL DGS 8093555, item 3, Volume 19 (1843-1876),FHL DGS 8093555, item 4, Volume 20 (1840-1892),FHL DGS 8093555, item 5, Volume 21 (1849-1902), first part,FHL DGS 8093555, item 6, Volume 21 (1849-1902), last part,FHL DGS 7833946, item 1, Volume 22 (1902-1907),FHL DGS 7833946, item 2. Both are on the southern end of the Elizabeth Islands in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts. It became known for inhumane conditions and poor treatment of its patients, and became the target of a series of lawsuits prior to its eventual closing in 1992. WebBaystate Medical Practices Quabbin Adult Medicine, Belchertown. Located on Thompsons Island. Its this story that has so much meaning when we share it with our family. Plan, The Developmentally Disabled: Civil Rights Issues, Final report of the Mass. For decades, the school operated with little public scrutiny, however changing attitudes toward disability and exposes of abhorrent conditions in psychiatric institutions gradually shifted the terrain. Concord, cemetery stones: 1904, Boston, Industrial School and Home for Crippled and Deformed Children, later called Massachusetts Hospital School; today the Cotting School in Lexington. History. Penikese, Island of Hope: One of the Elizabeths, a Massachusetts Historical Site. of MHD of M Retardation office of training and resource Dev. Funding requested a. Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. 1882, Baldwinville, Hospital Cottages for Children,Baldwinville is an unincorporated village in Templeton. For a detailed finding aid to these manuscripts, download the 208-page pdf. On March 31st, 2021, genealogist, historian, and author Amy Whorf McGuiggan gave a presentation in MGC's M:O.R.E. Volume 3 (1898-1905), first part,FHL DGS 8093554. [1], http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belchertown_State_School, http://www.1856.org/belchertown/belchertown, https://asylumprojects.org/index.php?title=Belchertown_State_School&oldid=43046, Bungalow/Craftsman, Colonial Revival, Italianate, Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded. Charles Lyndon, Jr: Asst. Tammy Rebello, L.F. Blanchard. It provided homeopathic treatment and took in patients from other hospitals who wanted this type of treatment. Leprosy and Its Relation to Massachusetts., Sabin, Thomas D. The Penikese Hospital A Massachusetts Hospital for the Treatment of Hansen's Disease., Penikese, Island of Hope: One of the Elizabeths, a Massachusetts Historical Site. The following one hour nineteen minute news documentary on Belchertown State School was created by WTIC in 1972. Shirley. The second type of record is registration information. May 29, Memorial Day: closed School, Campus Futures: in the Balance B.S.S./Region I, Report Concerning incidents of Hepatitis B Virus, U.S. District Court Monitor Horowitz Report to the Court, Horowitz S., Court Monitor, Letter of Resignation, Massachusetts Association for Retarded Citizens, et al Report to the Court. Records of Ricci's court appearances relative to his lawsuits against the Belchertown State School, including affidavits, responses, motions, supporting documents, and court orders. Defendants' Comments in Response to Court Monitors Report and on Plaintiff's motion to close certain buildings at Belchertown State School. Note that those marked with a. are deemed restricted. 1873, Danvers, State Lunatic Hospital at Danvers. 1902, Shirley, Boys Reform School at Shirley, See also Industrial School for Boys. Adult after-care clinic case files, 1969-1977; HS7.06/1300X. Later, workhouses were developed in towns. Sabin, Thomas D. The Penikese Hospital A Massachusetts Hospital for the Treatment of Hansen's Disease. New England Journal of Medicine 304 (1981): 1610-2. WebThe Belchertown State School Administration Building was constructed between 1926-1927 and designed in the Colonial Revival style by the prominent Boston architectural firm of Kendall, Taylor & Co. 'Our first students,' 1921 from the Aubrey Lapolice Collection. Massachusetts has over 400 years of European settlement. Consent Decrees for Mentally Retarded Citizens: Produced by the Dept. 44 (July-September 2018): 27-33. St 1945, c 291 allowed the microfilming of records and destruction of the originals, as was done with this series, which was microfilmed in 1947.

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