“Known for inhumane conditions and poor treatment of its patients.”
This place is on private property. Listing for informational purposes only. Please do not visit without express permission from the land owner. The Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded was established in 1922 in Belchertown, 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. The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Located at 30 State Street, the 876-acre (3.545 km2) campus contains ten major buildings built in a Colonial Revival style by Kendall, Taylor, and Co. The state schools of Massachusetts were different from state hospitals; the latter was for the mentally ill, while state schools were institutions for the mentally defective (the name is a misnomer, as they did not generally involve any form of education). Throughout its first 40 years, Belchertown operated mostly without scrutiny from outside sources. It was later discovered that since its inception the residents — some of whom had lived on the wards their entire lives — were being forced to have homosexual intercourse with each other by the staff; author Benjamin Ricci referred to the conditions there as "horrific", "medieval, and "barbaric".Actors at the school had little regard for patients' mental capacity.
Just went the other day and ran into a cop on patrol. we went over to go talk to him to ask if we could walk around and he said if he had seen us cross the yellow barrier, he would have arrested us. He said they arrested 150 people this month alone. Try to get permission from the owner. Don't go near any no trespassing signs, we tried everywhere
Me and my friend came to belchertown a couple nights ago but did not find the school. Anyone know how to get there? We typed in the school into the gps but then it just lead us down into a dirt road next to someones house and i dont think it was right. Im a photographer & i really wanted some photographs. Help???
Does anyone know how I can get in touch with the owner of the school? I'd like to visit and photograph it, but I want to see if I can get a permit to be on the grounds without having to worry about cops. It's about a three hour drive from where I live so I just want to be on the safe side.
You can definitely drive through here, but I wouldn't go out of my way to check it out. It is creepy though. A lot of the old buildings were turned into elementary schools, although I'm not sure if they are still used as such.
Coming from a local, I can say these buildings are not well monitored at all, but very decrepit on the inside. Most of these buildings have been condemned due to asbestos. You won't get caught, but be careful! Consider bringing a Ouija board with you; i've heard crazy stories from my friends.
I went to school in one of these building that looks like a “+” sign. It was named Berkshire elementary. I can’t find any info on that school other than it closed in 2004/05. Next door was another elementary school. It had 4 classrooms. 2 on each floor. And the cafeteria was in the basement. It was an old building jazzed up by the teachers. I would love to go inside one to see how it looks. From what I can find on google, the school is now a embroidery shop.
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