The Fairview Training Center was a state-run facility for people with developmental disabilities in Salem, Oregon, United States. Fairview was established in 1907 as the State Institution for the Feeble-Minded. The hospital opened on December 1, 1908, with 39 patients transferred from the Oregon State Hospital for the Insane.[3] Before its closure in 2000, Fairview was administered by the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS).[4] DHS continued to operate the Eastern Oregon State Hospital in Pendleton[5][6] until October 31, 2009.[7]
| Fairview Training Center | |
|---|---|
| State of Oregon | |
 LeBreton Cottage at Fairview, built in 1908 | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Salem, Oregon, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°53′52″N 123°00′49″W / 44.8978981°N 123.0137063°W[1] |
| Organization | |
| Care system | Public |
| Type | Psychiatric hospital |
| History | |
| Opened | 1907[2] |
| Closed | March 01, 2000[2] |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Oregon |
| Other links | Oregon State Hospital |
History edit
Early history edit
In 1907, the Oregon State Institution for the Feeble-Minded was created by the Oregon State Legislature.[2] It was established as a quasi-educational institution charged with educating the "feeble-minded" (today known as people with intellectual disability and various other developmental and learning disabilities) and caring for the "idiotic and epileptic."[2] The facility was overseen by a board of trustees consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State and State Treasurer.[2] Construction had progressed enough by 1908 that the first patients were transferred from the Oregon State Insane Asylum (now the Oregon State Hospital).[2] They resided on a 670-acre (270 ha) compound consisting of an administration building (LeBreton Cottage),[8] a dormitory, a laundry and boiler house.[2] By 1913, two more cottages were constructed and the board of trustees was replaced by the Oregon State Board of Control.[2]
In 1917, a commitment law was passed that was to standardize admissions to the institution by insuring that valuable space was used for the "feeble-minded" and not for the "insane".[2] It also imposed an age limit on admissions to people five years of age and older.[2] The age limit was removed in 1921.[2]
The institution had a working farm that provided both food and training for its residents.[2] By 1920, most of the land to be used for farming had been cleared.[2] 400 acres (160 ha) were planted in crops and 45 acres (18 ha) in orchards.[2] The farm also raised hogs, chickens, and dairy and beef cattle.[2]
In 1923, the legislature established the Oregon Board of Eugenics, and Fairview's superintendent served as an ex-officio board member.[2] The eugenics legislation provided for the "sterilization of all feeble-minded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates, and sexual perverts who are a menace to society."[2] Sterilizations required either the person's consent or a court order.[2] By 1929, 300 residents had been sterilized.[2]
Two types of parole for residents were established in 1931: home parole and industrial parole.[2] Requirements for parole included a surety bond filed by the parolee's guardian or overseer, who had to have a net worth of at least $1000 and have lived in the state for at least six months, the parolee had to be sterilized, and the home or workplace had to be inspected.[2] Two-thirds of residents who had been sterilized were paroled, which freed up beds for new patients.[2]
In 1933 the facility was renamed Oregon Fairview Home.[2]
Changes in care and additions to the facility continued through the 1940s-1960s, and improvements were made to the medical care and nutrition of the residents.[2]
In 1965, Oregon Fairview Home was renamed Fairview Hospital and Training Center.[2]
In the late 1960s, the orchard, raising of beef, and general farm activities were eliminated.[2] The raising of hogs was eliminated in 1975 and poultry processing ended in 1977.[2] These activities had formerly provided all the ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, broiler chickens, and pork chops used by Fairview.[2]
In 1969, the Board of Control was dissolved and the Mental Health Division placed under the newly created Executive Department of the state government.[2]
In 1979, the facility changed its name from Fairview Hospital and Training Center to Fairview Training Center.[2]
Modern history edit
Fairview was closed on March 1, 2000.[2]
A group known as Sustainable Fairview Associates purchased 275 acres (111 ha) of the former Fairview grounds in 2002.[9] The land included several historic buildings.[10]
In 2004, Sustainable Fairview Associates sold 32 acres (13 ha) of their holdings to Sustainable Development Inc. for building Pringle Creek Community, a sustainable housing development.[10][11]
Pierce Cottage, one of several buildings remaining on the former Fairview site, was gutted by a fire of suspicious origin in January 2010.[12][13] The building was one of 50 at the site previously slated for demolition and recycling.[14] Two men were charged with arson in connection with the fire the next month. All remaining cottages were demolished in 2016.[15]
Superintendents edit
- H.E. Bickers 1908-1912
- Frank E. Smith, M.D. 1913-1914
- J.H. Thompson, M.D. 1914-1915
- J.N. Smith, M.D. 1915-1929
- R.D. Byrd 1930-1938
- Horace G. Miller M.D. 1939-1944
- Ray M. Waltz, M.D. 1944-1946
- Irvin B. Hill, M.D. 1946-1959
- Jim Pomeroy, M.D. 1960-1970
- Larry W. Talkington, Ph.D. 1970-1976
- Jerry E. McGee, Ed.D. 1977-1987
- Linda K. Gustafson, Ph.D. 1989-1991
- Rosemary C. Hennessy 1991-1995
- Charles Farnham 1995-1997
- Jon E. Cooper M.B.A. 1997-2000
Cottages edit
The cottages on the grounds housed both staff and patients. Some of the structures were named after Oregon governors, including:
- Benson Cottage - Frank W. Benson
- Chamberlain Cottage - George Earle Chamberlain
- Lane Cottage - Joseph Lane
- Martin Cottage - Charles Martin
- Meier Cottage - Julius Meier
- Pierce Cottage - Walter M. Pierce (image) Destroyed by fire January 27, 2010[12]
- Smith Cottage - Elmo Smith
- Snell Cottage - Earl Snell
- Withycombe Cottage - James Withycombe
Fairview in the media edit
- Where's Molly? is a 2007 documentary about Molly Daly who was institutionalized at the Fairview Hospital and Training Center in the 1950s[16]
- Population: 2 is a post-apocalyptic film that features Fairview heavily as a location and contains the last footage of the center taken before its dismantling began in 2011
- In the Shadow of Fairview - A documentary made by OPB.
- Cold Case Files case of Janie Landers,
Young woman who disappeared from Fairview featured on the show Cold Case Files.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Fairview Training Center". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. November 28, 1980. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae "Oregon State Board of Control Records Guide, 1851-1977: Fairview Training Center". Oregon Blue Book. Oregon Secretary of State.
- ^ Salem Online History
- ^ "House Bill 3599, Seventy-second Oregon Legislative Assembly". Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ "Supports for Adults". Oregon Department of Human Services: Developmental Disabilities Division. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "Chapter 427—Persons With Mental Retardation; Persons With Developmental Disabilities". Oregon Revised Statutes. 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
- ^ "Eastern Oregon State Hospital". Oregon State Hospital of Mental Health. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
- ^ Oregon Historic Photograph Collections
- ^ "Planners May Hand Off Fairview". Statesman Journal. pringlecreekcommunity.com. August 20, 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ a b "Fairview Plan would Pay Dividends for City". Statesman Journal. pringlecreekcommunity.com. February 16, 2004. Archived from the original on 2010-09-14. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ "Pringle Creek Community". Statesman Journal. pringlecreekcommunity.com. August 22, 2005. Archived from the original on 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ a b "3-alarm Old Fairview Center fire in Salem". KGW. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2010-01-28.
- ^ Guerrero-Huston, Thelma (January 29, 2010). "Fire raises suspicions: Salem Police will lead investigation of blaze at former Fairview site". Statesman Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2021-02-25.(subscription required)
- ^ Guerrero-Huston, Thelma; Rose, Michael (January 29, 2010). "Fire raises suspicions: Structure that burned, one of 50 at site, was to be demolished anyway". Statesman Journal. Archived from the original on 2010-01-29. Retrieved 2021-02-25.(subscription required)
- ^ Russell, Michael (February 18, 2010). "Keizer men arrested in fire at Fairview Training Center in Salem". The Oregonian. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
- ^ "Review: "Where's Molly?"". OregonLive.com. March 9, 2007. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
External links edit
- Historic images of Fairview from Salem Public Library.
- Images of abandoned structures at Fairview from the University of Oregon digital archives
- Where's Molly official website
- "In Our Care" a 1959 film about Fairview from The Oregonian
- "Away from the Public Gaze": A History of the Fairview Training Center and the Institutionalization of People with Developmental Disabilities in Oregon from The Teaching Research Institute at Western Oregon University
- Photo essay of closed Fairview site from Flickr