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Purpose The purposes for which this institution was established were to provide a place of detention and education for boys between the ages of eight and sixteen years who had become unruly and delinquent in the communities of the state in which they lived and were deemed to be in need of restraint and correction during those earlier years when it is to be presumed that character is being formed, and who were believed to be capable of receiving instruction and training that would enable them to become good men and desirable citizens. Boys who are mentally defective to the extent of being feeble-minded or insane, and those who are deaf, dumb or blind, are not considered subjects for commit- ment to this school. Nor is the school to be deemed a place of punishment for crimes or misdemeanors committed, but rather for the education and upbuilding of youthful offenders who have by their conduct subjected them- selves to the penalties of the statutes.
Many years after its foundation the name of the institution was changed by legislative act from the State Reform School to the State School for Boys, and with this change in name came also the adoption of a change in discipline and even broader and more liberal administration of the affairs of the school. Up to that time the system of living had been only partially what is known as the cottage, or colony, system of school families. A large number of the boys still lived in what is known as the congregate system which prevailed at the opening of the school and which confined the inmates to one large building with adjoining yards
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for exercise and play. With the adoption of this new legislation, the cot- tage system was completely inaugurated by the erection of two additional large cottage buildings, and from that time on the boys of the state school have lived in colonies or families of about forty boys under the direction and care of a cottage master, a matron and a school teacher, representing the family idea of father, mother, elder sister and brothers.
Recreation By way of recreation, all sorts of out-door games-particu- larly base ball-are encouraged, and in the hall provided
and Health for this purpose there is a moving picture machine, and frequent entertainments of interesting character are presented.
The health of the boys is under the care of a regularly appointed physician who is not a resident of the institution but whose visits are made promptly upon call. A comfortable building on the grounds has been made over for use as a hospital with hot and cold water, electric lights, baths, operating room, and has accommodations for twenty patients.
Cottages are most conveniently arranged with school rooms, play rooms, kitchens and dining rooms, and the dormitory system of sleeping. Sanitation and bathing are adequately provided for, and apartments are provided in each cottage for the private life of the master and matron and teacher. Details of heating, lighting and the admission of sunlight in all the apartments have been carefully considered. The school of let- ters is graded according to the plan in use in the public schools of the state, and teachers are required to have normal school experience and state certificates.
* Religious Services
The religious preferences of the boys are about equally divided between the Catholic and Protestant faiths. There is a regular Catholic pastor who visits the school on the first and third Sundays of each month celebrating the mass on the first Sunday and giving religious instruction and catechism on the third Sunday. All the boys assemble for religious service every Sunday afternoon, and the preachers are volunteer clergymen who take a very keen interest in their service here.
Employment The operation of the school farm and the raising of live stock and poultry give interesting occupation constantly to a certain number of boys, and other industrial activities are provided for in a wood-working shop where general repairs are made and in the school bakery, laundry, kitchens and dairy.
Government The government of the school is vested in a board of six trustees, each holding a term of six years and one appoint- ment made each year by the governor of the state. The trustees select a superintendent to act for them and under their direction in the daily administration of the affairs of the school. The regular meetings of the board of trustees are held on the fourth Fridays of January, March, May,
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July, September and November, and a visiting member is appointed at each meeting to make a personal inspection of the school as often as once a month at least. Further supervision of the institution is made by a committee of the governor's council to which is added a lady visitor whose duty it is to make frequent calls at the institution and inquire carefully into the welfare of its inmates.
Entrance Conditions Commitment of boys between the ages of eight and six- teen to the school is made by magistrates of competent jurisdiction for the term of the boys' minority, unless otherwise disposed of by the trustees and superintendent. This form of commitment amounts virtually to an indeterminate sentence, and leaves to the discretion of the governing officers the time when the boy through the merit of his own good conduct and by reason of the opportunity which may be presented shall leave the institution, the average period of deten- tion being about two years.
CHAPTER LVII THE STATE SCHOOL FOR GIRLS
History This institution bore the name of the Maine Industrial School for Girls from the time it was established till March 22, 1915, when by act of the legislature it was changed to The State School for Girls.
The history of the school goes back to 1867. In the latter part of January, 1867, a girl, fifteen or sixteen years of age, was convicted in the police court of Augusta of petty larceny, fined, and in default of pay- ment, was committed to the county jail. This incident suggested the necessity of a reform school for girls in the State of Maine. The next morning in the legislature, then in session, Hon. John L. Stevens of Augusta introduced a resolution providing for the appointment of a com- mission to investigate the subject of reform institutions for girls and their success where already in operation, and report to the next legisla- ture. Hon. George B. Barrows of Fryeburg, was appointed commissioner, and made a report in 1868. This report was referred to the legislature of 1869; and the subject at two subsequent sessions was referred to "the next legislature."
At the session of 1871 nearly a thousand ladies of Portland petitioned the legislature "to make like provisions for the reform of girls as had been made for boys." As a result of this petition a commission was appointed consisting of Hon. Benj. Kingsbury, Jr., of Portland, Hon. E. R. French of Chesterville, and Hon. Samuel Garnsey of Bangor, which reported in 1872 a bill for the incorporation of a private association for the estab- lishment and administration of the proposed institution. This bill was passed and such an association was incorporated.
Meantime, unaware of what was already in progress, Mrs. Mary H. Flagg of Hallowell was moved to provide for vagrant and outcast girls, and first made her intentions known to some friends in April, 1872. She interested also Mrs. Almira C. Dummer of Hallowell; and in December of that year the two offered to the governor, the former $10,000 in money and the latter a building site in the city of Hallowell valued at $2,000. These proposals were made known by the governor in his annual message to the legislature of 1873. The private corporation accepted these pro- posals.
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The first building erected, Flagg-Dummer Hall, was dedicated January 20, 1875. Erskine Hall was opened January, 1886; and Baker Hall in December, 1898.
While the institution received a good deal from private charity the state also made substantial appropriations annually.
The legislature of 1899 enacted a law to put the school
State Control wholly under state control. The conditions of this act were accepted by the corporation, and its whole property valued, for its purposes, at $40,000 was conveyed by deed to the state.
Purpose The State School for Girls is not a house of correction, but is designed as a home for girls between the ages of six and twenty-one years, who, by force of circumstances or associations, are in manifest danger of becoming outcasts of society. It is not a place of punishment, to which its inmates are sent as criminals-but a home for the friendless, neglected and vagrant children of the state, where, under the genial influence of kind treatment, physical, mental and moral training, they may be won back to ways of virtue and respectability, and fitted for positions of honorable self-support and lives of usefulness.
Girls committed to the school become wards of the state. By the act of commitment fathers and mothers lose their parental rights and responsi- bilities and the board of trustees, with the superintendent, officers and teachers, in behalf of the state, become as parents to the children.
Commitment Girls are admitted to the school between the ages of 6 and 16. This age limit will doubtless be changed at the next legislature to 9 to 17 years. When once admitted, they are under the con- trol of the trustees until 21 years of age, unless sooner discharged by vote of the trustees. Girls may be committed through court procedure for truancy, for "leading an idle or vicious life", or for "being found in mani- fest danger of falling into habits of vice or immorality", by the munici- pal officers, or any three respectable inhabitants of any city or town where she may be found.
Government The government of the State School for Girls is vested in a board of trustees, six in number, known as "Trustees of Juvenile Institutions". They have charge also of the State School for Boys at South Portland. One trustees must visit each institution every month, the board meetings being held once a month alternating at each school.
The Plant The plant consists of four cottages, one central school and Inventory building with a dormitory, an administration building, Value two farm cottages, a barn, and a pumping station. The present inventory value of buildings and equipment, together with trust funds valued at $10,819.15, is now $222,945.22.
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Population
The present enrolment is 212 girls, 129 resident and 83 non-resident (or parole).
School of A graded system of schools is maintained, including the first three years of high school work.
Letters Several girls are always in outside high and grade schools: those in the former working their board in families, and the latter having their board paid by the institution.
CHAPTER LVIII
BATH MILITARY AND NAVAL ORPHAN ASYLUM
History The asylum was founded near the close of the Civil War in 1864 by Mrs. Sara A. Sampson of Bath, a returned army nurse, widow of Col. Charles A. L. Sampson of the Third Maine Volun- teers. It was started as a local institution, Mrs. Sampson gathering together a few of the more needy soldiers' orphans and establishing them in a small comfortable house with a competent housekeeper. She inter- ested citizens generally in the enterprise, and an organization was formed with Ex-Mayor John Patten as its president. Besides looking after its immediate maintenance, a fund was started to provide for its permanent support as a local institution.
So many applications for admission were received from orphans in other towns, that in order to widen the scope of its usefulness, the home was incorporated as a state institution on February 23, 1866, "for the purpose of rearing and educating, gratuitously, in the common branches of learning and ordinary industrial pursuits, the orphans and half orphans of officers, soldiers, seamen and marines who have entered the service of the government from Maine during the war for the suppression of the rebellion and have died while in said service, or subsequently, from wounds received or injuries or disease contracted while in said service."
Under provisions of the several acts amendatory of the original the asylum at the present time is open to the following classes :
Conditions First: Descendants of veterans of the Civil War who resided in the state and served on the quota of Maine.
of Admittance
Second: Orphans or half orphans of veterans residing in the state, although not serving on the quota of Maine.
Third: Children or grandchildren of veterans of the Civil War, when they have been deserted by either of their parents.
Fourth: Orphans of any citizens of Maine, should the capacity of the home at any time be more than sufficient to care for orphans and others eligible for admittance under the several preceding provisions of the act.
Children of both sexes are received between the ages of four and fourteen. Good homes are provided for them or they are returned to rela- tives by the time they have reached sixteen years of age. They have careful diet, plain food, wholesome and in plenty. Frequent bathing, a large amount of outdoor exercise and strict sanitary regulations are enforced.
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The home physician makes regular visits and responds promptly to any calls for treatment.
How The children attend the public schools of Bath on equal footing in every respect with citizens' children, without Educated distinguishing marks or dress. Free textbooks are fur- nished by the city. Those of suitable age and school rank attend the Manual Training School and Bailey School of Industries, and are grad- uated from the junior high school if remaining long enough in the home. Some enter the senior high school and several have been graduated with honors.
Quite a number have settled in Bath, are good mechanics, and have good homes and families. Others are filling various stations in life, both business and professional and are making good records. One of the earlier inmates, resident in the state but having his business interests in Boston, was recently a member of the board of trustees, appointed by the governor.
Recreation While necessarily under somewhat restrictive rules and regulations, the children are allowed quite general free- dom of action, being put upon their honor as to deportment and seldom is the confidence abused. The object is to give them family home life so far as it can reasonably be done.
Religious Children follow the religious preferences of the parents Instruction if they have any. All are required to attend church once on Sunday as well as Sabbath School. Daily services are held in the home under the direction of the matron or her assistant.
Management The management of the asylum is vested in a board of seven trustees four of whom are appointed by the gov- ernor and three annually elected by the local association. Seven lady visi- tors from various parts of the state are also annually elected by the local association, whose duty it is to visit the asylum and report to the trustees the result of their investigations, together with any suggestions for their betterment.
For many years it has been the custom of the several governors to appoint as one of its trustees, the Department Commander of the G. A. R. whosoever he may be, feeling that the old soldiers may thereby be kept in closer touch with the needy descendants of their former comrades in arms. Official Staff There are in all ten care-takers :- matron, housekeeper, two seamstresses, two laundresses, two cooks, housemaid
and janitor. The present site of the home was purchased by the state in 1870. Additions to the building and lot have since been made.
Number
. in Home
The total number cared for in the home since its incor- poration to January 1, 1918, has been 982. In the last twenty-five years the state has appropriated for main- tenance of children and upkeep of property a total of $227,756.64, averag- ing about $162.68 per child.
CHAPTER LIX
MAINE SCHOOL FOR DEAF
Maine School for the Deaf The Maine School for the Deaf was established in 1876 as part of the public school system of the city of Port- land, and in 1897 it was taken over by the state and became a state institution. It is a public school for the instruction of children who, because of deafness, cannot be educated in the schools of the towns in which they live. Tuition and board are furnished free to children whose parents or guardians are residents of the State of Maine. The plant consists of an up to date school building of ten well-furnished school rooms, with a fully equipped gymnasium on the third floor and play- rooms in the basement. In the industrial building the older pupils are taught printing, carpentry, glazing, cabinet-making, basketry, chair-can- ing, sewing, dressmaking, weaving, cooking, ironing, etc. Three other buildings provide a dormitory for boys, a dormitory for large girls and dormitory for small girls and a hospital. There are usually in attendance about 100 pupils, representing every part of the state. Thirty persons employed. Appropriation for maintenance for 1918 was $31,862.30.
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SCENE AT A MAINE SANITORIUM
CHAPTER LX.
STATE TUBERCULOSIS SANATORIUMS
In round numbers one thousand people in Maine die every year of tuberculosis, a curable disease. Much has been done for the help of those afflicted with this disease, through private agencies, such as the Maine Anti-Tuberculosis Association, but more needs to be done. In 1915 the legislature provided for the care and treatment of tubercular persons by an act authorizing the establishment of one or more sanatoriums at which patients were to be treated at a charge based on their financial con- dition. An appropriation of seventy-five thousand dollars was made to accomplish this. The Board of Trustees for Tuberculosis Sanatoriums was organized the same year and immediately went to work.
Western Maine The appropriation was, of course, inadequate to equip and furnish such institutions as were needed. Through the Sanatorium liberality of the directors of the Maine State Sanatorium at Hebron this plant was offered to the state for $15,000, though the net worth of the land, buildings and equipment was over two hundred thousand dollars. There were also vested funds of about eighty thousand dollars which were turned over to the state. There are about 480 acres of land connected with this institution. The buildings consist of the Chamberlain Building for administration purposes, the reception cottage, the women's cottage, the men's cottage, central heating plant, creamery, etc. The capacity is one hundred. In 1919 the legislature pro- vided that new buildings should be erected for tubercular soldiers, sailors and marines, and it was decided to locate them at Hebron.
Central Under the conditions named in the deed to the Hebron Maine property only the so-called curable cases can be treated at Hebron. It was, therefore, necessary to acquire a second Sanatorium sanatorium for the treatment of advanced cases of tubercu- losis. The Chase Memorial Sanatorium at Fairfield was offered to the state for $15,000, and as this property was already equipped it seemed best to purchase it. The Central Maine Sanatorium at Fairfield is the receiving station, and patients are transferred as their condition seems to warrant. The capacity has been increased to one hundred and twenty- five. Cottage A is considered one of the most satisfactory buildings in . New England for its purpose. The Chase Memorial Building has been remodeled to provide for the increased needs. A building for the accom- modation of children is at present under way.
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Northern Maine Sanatorium In 1917 the legislature made an appropriation for the erection and maintenance of a sanatorium in Aroostook County, and a site was given to the state just outside Presque Isle. This institution will be ready for occupancy in April of 1920.
In addition to these state sanatoriums there are three private or semi- private sanatoriums at Parsonfield, Bangor and Andover. Lewiston has a local or county sanatorium. Many hospitals have tuberculosis wards, but even with these accommodations the state institutions have long wait- ing lists, and patients are sometimes obliged to wait two or three months for admittance.
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REFORMATORY FOR MEN AT WINDHAM
CHAPTER LXI
REFORMATORY FOR MEN
History The State Reformatory for Men was established by an act of the legislature approved April 4, 1919. At the same time an appropriation of forty-five thousand dollars was made to purchase land and buildings. The Inebriates' Home, located in Windham, has been secured and a superintendent elected.
Purpose It is expected that this reformatory will provide a suitable place to send minors, where they may be under influences and receive instruction that will tend to make them law-abiding and useful citizens.
"The state shall establish and maintain a reformatory in which all males over the age of sixteen years who have been convicted of or have pleaded guilty to crime in the courts of this state or of the United States, and who have been duly sentenced and removed thereto, shall be impris- oned and detained in accordance with the sentences or orders of said courts and the rules and regulations of said reformatory.
"When a male over the age of sixteen years is convicted before any court or trial justice having jurisdiction of the offense, of an offense pun- ishable by imprisonment in the state prison, or in any county jail, or in any house of correction, such court or trial justice may order his com- mitment to the reformatory for men, or sentence him to the punishment provided by law for the same offense. When a male is sentenced to the reformatory for men, the court or trial justice imposing the sentence shall not prescribe the limit thereof, unless it be for a term of more than five years, but no man committed to the reformatory upon a sentence within the prescribed limit, as aforesaid, shall be held for more than five years if sentenced for a felony ; nor for more than three years if sentenced for a misdemeanor after a prior conviction of crime otherwise for not more than six months. If the sentence imposed on any man be for more than five years, he shall be so held for such longer term.
"If, through oversight, or otherwise, any person be sentenced to imprisonment in the said reformatory for men for a definite period of time, said sentence for that reason shall not be void; but the person so sentenced shall be entitled to the benefit, and subject to the provisions of this act, in the same manner and to the same extent as if the sentence had been in the terms required by this act. In such case said trustees shall deliver to such offender a copy of this act."
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CHAPTER LXII
REFORMATORY FOR WOMEN
History The Reformatory for Women was created by an act of the legislature of 1915. At that time $50,000 was appro- priated to purchase a farm and construct buildings. The law provided that the institution should be built on the cottage system. The Reformatory was opened for the reception of inmates November 15, 1916.
Location This institution is located in Skowhegan, a town of about 6,000 inhabitants. The farm comprises 200 acres, half of which is under cultivation, the remainder in pasture and woodland. The water supply is from a never-failing spring on the property.
Purpose The purpose of this institution is to provide a place for all women from the age of sixteen years who have been con- victed of or have pleaded guilty to a crime in the courts of the state or of the United States.
Management The institution is under the direction of five persons, appointed by the governor, with the direction of the coun- cil. Two of these persons shall be women.
Expenses The state employs at this institution a superintendent, a farm manager and five assistants. An appropriation of $33,579 has been made by the state to cover the running expenses for 1920.
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CHAPTER LXIII
THE MAINE STATE PRISON
History When Maine separated from Massachusetts in 1820, pro- vision had to be made for a state prison. Previous to this time the convicts from this section had been sent to Charlestown. In 1823 the legislature provided for the establishment of such an institution at Thomaston. Thomaston was chosen as a site because at that time before there were railroads it was easily accessible by water, and as most of the population was along the coast, it had a central location half way between Kittery and Eastport. Ten acres of land, including a lime quarry, were purchased from the Hon. William King at a cost of $3,000. The prison building itself was constructed for less than $2,000. In June, 1824, it was ready for occupancy and was considered to be very satisfactory. Daniel Rose, who had superintended the construction of the prison, was its first warden. The prison had two wings joined to the main building in which was the hospital. The length of the building was something over one hundred and eighty-six feet. The floor was of granite and the walls of split stone three feet thick. There were fifty cells. They had an aperture of eight by two inches in the wall to afford air, and on top there was an opening twenty-two inches by twenty-four inches to permit the prisoners to be lowered nightly into these cold, damp cells which were entirely without heat. The fence around the prison yard was built of cedar posts about ten feet high. In 1828 twenty cells were added in the west wing. In 1843 the building was remodeled and the old cells were abandoned. Three tiers of cells, thirty-six in each story and two abreast, seven feet high and four feet wide, were constructed in the east wing. In his report of 1844 Benjamin Carr, the warden, says, "We now have as good a prison as there is in the Union". In 1850 a large part of the build- ing was burned, but repairs were immediately made and the new main building was ready for occupancy in 1851. In 1854 the stone wall around the prison yard commenced some years before was completed. From time to time various repairs and additions have been made, houses for the prison officers added, the old wings enlarged and repaired, new wings and new shops built.
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