Home for the Eternally Doomed..The Ladd School

[CaptainJack]

LADD SCHOOL Home of the Eternally Doomed
The Ladd school, also called the Exeter School, was Rhode Islands school for the feeble minded.

Originally these where a rather high minded endeavors. Later unfortunately the advocates of Eugenics, particularly Dr. Walter E Fernald took control of the system. Eugenics was the scientific art of genetically perfecting the human race by such methods as enforced sterilization and infanticide.

The result was the creation of institutions, for the permanent retention of an unwanted class, a class growing to include not only crippled, physically deformed and mentally retarded children, but also for the poor, for prostitutes and alcoholics, immigrants and other so-called deviants

Our great aim is to eliminate this class, and in order to do this we must of necessity consider the elimination of the neurotic, blind, deaf, and consumptives, tramps, paupers, petty criminals, prostitutes etc., as well as the hereditary insane, epileptics and Imbeciles.

It was Dr Fernalds assistant Dr. Joseph Ladd who began the Ladd School in the early 1900s.




The Ladd School is well documented as a horrible, overcrowded, inadequately staffed filthy place. Much more can be found on the Ladd School Website.
http://theladdschool.com/index.html?index=A3


Despite warnings about Security and State Police patrolling, Jobs Corps and Phoenix House thugs robbing people in the abandoned buildings, we drove directly onto the campus. We found some cars parked outside the Phoenix House Drug rehab building. This is located in what had been known as Evergreen. A dorm building that was featured in a number of articles exposing the poor treatment of inmates at Ladd.

As we began our inspection of the property a group of Phoenix patients noticed us. One began making sounds that ranged somewhere between wild wolf calls and the howling of a deranged monkey. Fortunately for us he appeared to be restricted to the drug facility grounds and as we moved out of sight his ominous animal calls stopped.


It wasnt long before our visit that the Cops had busted half a dozen people from the Job Corps and Phoenix campus for mugging a series of people who were exploring the abandoned buildings. Moss and I are prepared in case of an unfriendly encounter, still the howling was a bit unnerving, and we wondered what condition the car might be in when we returned.


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The school finally closed in 1994 when the last handful of patients were transferred out. Its been used pretty roughly since then. Many of the buildings have been demolished. The remaining ones are in rough shape.



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The most recognizable is the round Fogerty Building. It had been used as an infirmary and is the newest building on campus. Between its cheap construction and heavy vandalism its in an advanced state of disrepair, reminiscent of the dorm building at the rear of Lakeside.


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Trash land

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X ray gone


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Bed of Mold



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This appears to be what is left of the dental clinic. In one of the exposes on Ladd a dentist from a State School in CT visited here. He found the dental area to be appalling. Almost totally devoid of dental instruments, an untrained staff, bloody towels left out for days, no anesthesia, no formal sterilization equipment and the only item available to clean anything was a bar of soap found under a chair.




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Moss and I have been to a lot of creepy places but for some reason the basement of this building gave us both an intangible uncomfortable feeling.



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Howe


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Greene



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Police Training Building. Higgins
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Adaptive equip in the Police Building.


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