In 1907, New York State officials cited the need for the establishment of a facility to care for the "feeble minded and epileptic." The State purchased 2,000 acres of rolling farm country in Thiells, a Rockland County hamlet, to build the facility. In 1909, the facility was renamed Letchworth Village in honor of William Pryor Letchworth, a noted philanthropist, humanitarian and advocate for the village's creation. Letchworth sought to depart from the mission of custodial institutions built during the nineteenth century and instead embrace a forward-looking treatment plan that would provide education, training and vocations to children and adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The resident patients (or "inmates", as they are called in annual reports) worked as farmers of the Letchworth land. According to the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the farm produced over one million dollars worth of crops during the 1930s, and it remained active until the early 1960s. Dr. Charles S. Little, who figures largely in these photographs and documents, was the first superintendent of Letchworth. Dr. George Jervis, a research scientist at Letchworth, achieved international acclaim for his discovery of the cause of Phenylketonuria (PKU), a form of mental retardation.
From the description of Letchworth Village records. (Columbia University In the City of New York). WorldCat record id: 606944933
BIOGHIST REQUIRED In 1907, New York State officials cited the need for the establishment of a facility to care for the "feeble minded and epileptic." The State purchased 2,000 acres of rolling farm country in Thiells, a Rockland County hamlet, to build the facility. In 1909, the facility was renamed Letchworth Village in honor of William Pryor Letchworth, a noted philanthropist, humanitarian and advocate for the village's creation. Letchworth sought to depart from the mission of custodial institutions built during the nineteenth century and instead embrace a forward-looking treatment plan that would provide education, training and vocations to children and adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. The resident patients (or "inmates", as they are called in annual reports) worked as farmers of the Letchworth land. According to the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, the farm produced over one million dollars worth of crops during the 1930s, and it remained active until the early 1960s. Dr. Charles S. Little, who figures largely in these photographs and documents, was the first superintendent of Letchworth. Dr. George Jervis, a research scientist at Letchworth, achieved international acclaim for his discovery of the cause of Phenylketonuria (PKU), a form of mental retardation.
From the guide to the Letchworth Village Papers, (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library, )
