The Rhode Island School for the Feeble-Minded
The Dr. Joseph H. Ladd School, formerly the Exeter School for the Feeble-Minded, was a custodial institution for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Founded in 1908 and abandoned in 1994, its 86-year history remains one of the most notrious chapters in Rhode Island's past.
FEATURED | JASON CARPENTER
The life and trials of three women committed to the Exeter School for the Feeble-Minded during the Great Depression, as told through their personal letters.
-
HISTORY
Founded in Exeter, Rhode Island in 1908 and abandoned in 1994, The Dr. Joseph H. Ladd Center was a feeble-minded school and chronic care facility for children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities.
-
STORIES
Based on more than fifteen years of research, this difnitive anthology tells the dark and complex history of the Ladd School as it has never been told before.
-
BUILDINGS
The Ladd School once covered nearly one square mile, had a population of over 1,000 residents, and was comprised of more than 30 buildings including a fire station, a hospital, a school and a farm.
-
FILM & SOUND
Lost for decades, these silent home movies, films and cassettes are some of the only known surviving recordings of The Ladd School.
SEE OUR FILM PROJECT
FEATURED | JASON CARPENTER
Exeter Girls: Letters From a Feeble-Minded School (2014)
The life and trials of three women committed to the Exeter School for the Feeble-Minded during the Great Depression, as told through their personal letters.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
