Arntzville and I spent a few hours going through several of the buildings. The photos in this set are from both us. The better ones are more likely the result of his lensmanship. Thrown in are a few shots from an earlier trip with Moss and aa couple of Disco Kittens from when she visited here last year


This School is a small but totally cool gem. The level of decay is high, vandalism and destruction minimal. I’ve been there before but Arntzville and I had an excellent time wandering through a couple of buildings.
The Reform School was established in 1886 and closed in 1971. It is considered to be the first Reform/Training school in the US.


1. Yesterday and Today



In those times children had few rights and could be committed by the courts or their parents for infractions as vague as being a stubborn child. The purpose behind the school was to reform the students and teach them a trade. Although the school had many success stories, these are seldom heard. One is more likely to hear of rapes and beatings and the supposed runaways from the school who were suspected of actually being murder by staff members and then buried in a nearby swamp.



2. Oaks is on the left and Hillside on the right. Both still stand in ruins


Today many of the buildings are gone. A few have been converted but most remaining stand in ruins, including a small abandoned village where some of the staff where housed.



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6. There is a better than even chance that the Boston Strangler slept in this room




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14 The place had some strange vibes




15 Arntz and I where getting a weird feeling and decided it was time to leave