Letchworth Village Developmental Center, alternately named Home for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, was an institution and residence for the developmentally and physically disabled. Built in the 1908 using the cottage plan, the village housed patients ranging from infant to older adult, separating them according to functional ability, age, and sex. The residents of the village would receive education and vocational training if able, in addition to working the farm that provided much of the food for the complex. Typical of most institutions of the it's time, there was overcrowding. Letchworth was the site of the first polio vaccine trial in the 1950's when it was still acceptable to administer trial vaccines on the "feebleminded". The village was closed in 1996, as the remaining patients were placed in group homes. The buildings have not weathered time very well, as a series of fires have partially destroyed one of the main buildings while decay and nature take their course with the rest.
I love all of these shots- makes me want to go back there. It makes me crave for more locations.
ReplyDeleteI love the 2nd photo. So much.
ReplyDeleteI can do enlargements/will be in your area next weekend, if you want a copy!
DeleteI worked there for 38 years. It breaks my heart to see the buidings this way.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever heard of babies being born in the institution? I know a woman who was there from 1940 until she was put into one of the newer group homes who claimed to give birth and have her child taken from her. I have been trying to find some information on children born at Letchworth with no luck.
DeleteThe buildings have deteriorated so much more than these photos show. Between nature and vandals it's a crying shame what has happened there. I fear the structures will soon be inadmissible as the decay takes over. What a shame in more ways than one or perhaps it is a fitting end.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous who worked there - were you there during the polio trials?
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