Indiana Institutions

Items in the Indiana Institutions Collection

Transcript: Randy Krieble Interview
"People coming into the business today, I can't imagine them seeing the advancement and the progress that we saw." Randy Krieble talks about witnessing the evolution of institutional custody and control of people with disablities into…

Transcript: Paul Shankland Interview
In 1964, Paul decided to interview at the Fort Wayne State School as a recreation aide. They had football and baseball games, dances, and a summer camp. Although these activities were fun, the experience was different in retrospect. The daily living…

Transcript: Sue Beecher Interview
"When I started in 1977, when people were admitted they brought with them what was called their death bag." The bag contained the clothing that residents of New Castle State Hospital were to be buried in. Sue Beecher recalls her employment at the…

Transcript: Ruth Stanley Interview
When Ruth Stanley moved to Indiana, she took a job at Fort Wayne State Hospital in 1968. She moved on to Central State Hospital in 1982. Ruth talks about the differences see saw in the two state hospitals. One big difference was the higher turnover…

The Sweetest Little Boy I Ever Knew: A Handmade History for an Institutional Life
The Sweetest Little Boy I Ever Knew: A Handmade History for an Institutional Life tells the story of a baby orphaned with disabilities in Nashville, Tennessee at the end of World War II. Despite the loving effort of Edith Mumpower, an older woman who…

The Days Were Pretty Bleak - Sue Beecher on New Castle State Hospital
In 1977, Sue Beecher started her professional career at New Castle State Hospital in New Castle, Indiana. In this video, Sue recounts some of the institution's early history and speaks about her experiences working there.

Restraint Use in State Institutions
“I mean, you know, people 40 years ago were locked in isolated areas,” describes Randy Krieble of restraints used in institutions. “The ammonia sprays were used especially in the children’s unit,” explains Sue Beecher. Professionals in the field of…

Looking Back Is Difficult - Paul Shankland on Fort Wayne State Hospital
“The mistreatment, people encouraged to mistreat each other,” explains Paul Shankland of his time as an activity therapy aide at Fort Wayne State Hospital from 1964 to 1971. In reflecting back on what he witnessed, Paul shares a story about a…

Evil Things Were Happening Inside - Erika Steuterman on Her Brother's Time at Central State Hospital
Erika Steuterman visited the Indiana State Archive in 2013, as a way to face the difficult memories of visiting her older brother at Central State Hospital (Indianapolis) in the 1960s and 1970s. In this video, Erika shares some of those memories, and…

Fort Wayne State School
In 1887 Indiana state legislators enacted a law providing for the establishment of the Indiana School for Feeble Minded Youth in Fort Wayne, one of the first institutions in the nation serving people with intellectual/developmental disabilities.…

Indiana Eugenics Law Marker
An historical marker observing the centenary of Indiana’s 1907 landmark sterilization law, and acknowledging Indiana's role in the sterilization of its institutionalized citizens. The marker is located at the Indiana State Library in…

Indiana State School for the Deaf Alumnae Reunion, 1908
The photo depicts an alumnae reunion at the Indiana State School for the Deaf in Indianapolis on May 29, 1908.
Text in photo:
"Cirkut photo by C. F. Bretzman and Orson Archibald, 6 inch Cirkut"
"Alumni reunion, Ladies' Group, Indiana State…

Thomas Hancock with Nurse at General Hospital
Thomas Hancock, age 10 months, with nurse at General Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee, October 1946. Thomas entered Muscatatuck State School in 1951, living there until he died in 1981.

Governor Vows Changes at New Castle
An article headlined "Governor Vows Changes at New Castle" appeared on the front page of the Logansport Pharos Tribune on May 7, 1997. Governor Frank O'Bannon visited the New Castle State Developmental Center on May 6, 1997 after an Indianapolis…

Deinstitutionalization Project: Ahead of Its Time
"You don't train people to get ready to go out in the community; you take a risk and let them go and see where their strengths are." From 1973 through 1976, the Deinstitututionalization Project gave residents at Muscatatuck State Developmental Center…

Randy Krieble - A Glimpse Inside Muscatutuck State Developmental Center
It was a "stark" and "demoralizing" environment. From 1977 to 1980, Randy Krieble worked at Muscatatuck State Hospital and Training Center, as it was known at the time. In this video excerpt from a 2012 interview, he shares what a day in the life of…

Randy Krieble Interview
"People coming into the business today, I can't imagine them seeing the advancement and the progress that we saw." Randy Krieble talks about witnessing the evolution of institutional custody and control of people with disablities into…

Sue Beecher Interview
"When I started in 1977, when people were admitted they brought with them what was called their death bag." The bag contained the clothing that residents of New Castle State Hospital were to be buried in. Sue Beecher recalls her employment at the…

Sue Beecher - "Mandated to Close"
“I came back on Monday and one of the clients had a broken limb and nobody knew how it had occurred,” explains Sue Beecher of a visit to Muscatatuck State Developmental Center. In 1998, Sue was working for Indiana Protection & Advocacy and was…

Paul Shankland Interview
In 1964, Paul decided to interview at the Fort Wayne State School as a recreation aide. They had football and baseball games, dances, and a summer camp. Although these activities were fun, the experience was different in retrospect. The daily living…

Harry Clay Sharp
Dr. Harry Clay Sharp, a prison physician in Jeffersonville, Indiana, was influential in the movement to enact eugenics legislation in Indiana and nationally. He advocated vasectomies as a way to prevent the transmission of "degenerate" traits.…

Ruth Stanley Interview
When Ruth Stanley moved to Indiana, she took a job at Fort Wayne State Hospital in 1968. She moved on to Central State Hospital in 1982. Ruth talks about the differences see saw in the two state hospitals. One big difference was the higher turnover…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part One
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part Two
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part Three
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part Four
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part Five
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part Six
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

New Castle State Developmental Center Investigation WISH-TV8 - Part Seven
In 1997, WISH-TV secretly filmed resident abuse by employees inside New Castle State Developmental Center in New Castle, Indiana. The impact of making the disturbing, hidden camera footage public was the closure of the Center in 1998. Channel 8, the…

Sue Gant - Planning for the Closure of Muscatatuck State Developmental Center
Dr. Sue Gant has 40 plus years of working in the disability field. As an expert with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation, Dr. Gant spent the late 1990s through 2008 in Indiana assisting with the closure of New…

Randy Krieble - Closing Muscatatuck
“Muscatatuck was decertified and lost their ICF/MR certification that they'd had for about 20 years. And that was considerable revenue loss. And so, a decision was made through some -- a lot of discussion to -- that Muscatatuck would be closed.”…

Sue Beecher - Admitting Children to Institutions
“In terms of children being admitted, I assisted with some admissions of children. I’m not proud of that,” states Sue Beecher. In the late 1970s, Sue worked in the outpatient clinic at New Castle State Hospital and assisted with placing children…

Bonnie Smith - It's a Terrible Place
“It was the hardest thing I’ve done in my life.” In the 1970s, Bonnie Smith was having difficulties providing care at home for her adolescent son Brooks. After seeking assistance, it was determined Brooks would go to Indiana's Madison State Hospital.…

Muscatatuck State Developmental Center Entrance
This photo of the entrance to Muscatatuck State Developmental Center was taken in 2005. That was the same year the institution closed, the last person living at Muscatatuck having been placed into a community residence on April 22, 2005. The Center…

Muscatatuck State Developmental Center Administration Building
Building No. 12 was constructed in 1940 at a cost of $31,644. It remained in use as an administration building for Muscatatuck State Developmental Center until the Center's closure in 2005. The institution, located in Butlerville, Indiana, became…

Muscatatuck State School Female Attendants Dormitory
Building No. 22 was built around 1940 to house women working as attendants at Muscatatuck State School, as the institution became known in 1941. (Prior to that year, it was known as the Indiana Farm Colony for Feeble-Minded Youth.) Male and female…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Patty Cook Interview
“One of the first things that she said was ‘I want a lawyer.’” Patty Cook recounts her experience with a teenager who had severe cerebral palsy and had been given a communication device for the first time. Patty was first hired at Muscatatuck State…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Ann Bishop Interview
"We had three boys and five girls and they literally thought they owned the place." Ann Bishop came to Muscatatuck in September of 1954. She started as a head nurse, became assistant director of nursing, and then was a module director/mental health…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Steve and Vickie Ward Interview
"The very first day of leaving him there, it was just like somebody tore my heart out," recalls Steve Ward. His son Steven entered Muscatatuck State Developmental Center around 1990. Steven was 14 and had had a brain tumor since the age of two,…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Leland Verrick Interview
"I had all the jobs." When Leland Verrick was at Muscatatuck State School, later Muscatatuck State Hospital and Training Center, it was not yet illegal for residents to perform the same duties as the hired staff. Leland says he bathed, diapered, and…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Patty Cook Interview
“One of the first things that she said was ‘I want a lawyer.’” Patty Cook recounts her experience with a teenager who had severe cerebral palsy and had been given a communication device for the first time. Patty was first hired at Muscatatuck State…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Ann Bishop Interview
"We had three boys and five girls and they literally thought they owned the place." Ann Bishop came to Muscatatuck in September of 1954. She started as a head nurse, became assistant director of nursing, and then was a module director/mental health…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Steve and Vickie Ward Interview
"The very first day of leaving him there, it was just like somebody tore my heart out," recalls Steve Ward. His son Steven entered Muscatatuck State Developmental Center around 1990. Steven was 14 and had had a brain tumor since the age of two,…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Leland Verrick Interview

"I had all the jobs." When Leland Verrick was at Muscatatuck State School, later Muscatatuck State Hospital and Training Center, it was not yet illegal for residents to perform the same duties as the hired staff. Leland says he bathed, diapered,…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Sandra Blair Interview
"We loved him, but he needed things that we couldn’t give him." Sandra Blair's son Brian was seven when he went into Muscatatuck State School in the early 1960s. He was the second of six children and Sandra was also working outside the home. It was a…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Sandra Blair

"We loved him, but he needed things that we couldn’t give him." Sandra Blair's son Brian was seven when he went into Muscatatuck State School in the early 1960s. He was the second of six children and Sandra was also working outside the home. It was…

Mucatatuck Oral History - Sarah Poole Interview
"I expected to go out of there feet first... I was just like the clients, I had been there my whole life. How could I function on the outside?" Sarah Poole started working as an attendant at Muscatatuck State Developmental Center in 1968. She soon…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Sarah Poole Interview
"I expected to go out of there feet first... I was just like the clients, I had been there my whole life. How could I function on the outside?" Sarah Poole started working as an attendant at Muscatatuck State Developmental Center in 1968. She soon…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Belma Elberts Interview
"Even before we started to school we used to go to Muscatatuck. My daddy played baseball... we’d have a picnic after the ball game and they played ball to entertain the patients out there." Belma Eberts' memories of Muscatatuck start in the 1920s…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Belma Elberts Interview
"Even before we started to school we used to go to Muscatatuck. My daddy played baseball... we’d have a picnic after the ball game and they played ball to entertain the patients out there." Belma Eberts' memories of Muscatatuck start in the 1920s…

Patrick Sandy - Deinstitutionalization Project Was Groundbreaking
“We were scratching our heads saying, this is wrong. This isn't the right way to do it, but I'm not sure what the right way is,” describes Patrick Sandy of his experience with the Deinstitutionalization Project at the Developmental Training Center…

Transcript: Muscatatuck Oral History - Cindie Underwood Interview
"That was about the same time things were really starting to change. I felt like I was actually being part of a system that was on its way up." Cindie Underwood came to Muscatatuck State Developmental Center in 1989 as a case manager. Over the years…

Muscatatuck Oral History - Cindie Underwood Interview
"That was about the same time things were really starting to change. I felt like I was actually being part of a system that was on its way up." Cindie Underwood came to Muscatatuck State Developmental Center in 1989 as a case manager. Over the years…

Residence at the Developmental Training Center
In 1973, the Developmental Training Center (DTC) on the Indiana University Bloomington campus created a deinstitutionalization project utilizing a halfway house approach. It provided residents of Muscatatuck State Hospital and Training Center…

Muscatatuck Cemetery Entrance
Residents of Muscatatuck State Developmental Center were buried in an area adjacent to a non-institutional cemetery in Butlerville, Indiana. This photograph was taken by Seth Musselman, probably in 2009. Muscatatuck State Developmental Center…

Education Experiences at Muscatatuck
For children with disabilities before the 1970s and '80s, "a lot of them, I think [the Muscatatuck institution] would be the only chance for any education at all." In local communities, "they weren't invited to the school, they were invited not to be…

Beth Myers - "They Did Me Wrong"
"They was mean to me. And I'm glad I'm not in an institution no more.” Beth was sent to an Indiana institution when she was young. She didn’t have the opportunity to go to school but states she learned to write and do math. After leaving Muscatatuck…

They Told Parents 'Stick Them in an Institution'
"Our society told parents at that time, they’re retarded, you don’t want them at home, stick them in an institution, forget that they were born." Three interviewees who worked as staff at Muscatatuck and New Castle State Hospitals in the 1960s and…

Neglect in the Institutions
"You cannot walk onto a unit and see visible injuries on 12 of 14 people that weren't there the week before and not suspect something is terribly wrong there." Two officials share observations about the treatment of residents at Muscatatuck State…