THANK YOU!

Posted on October 27, 2025 by lsstuhler

This is from my friend, Ryan Thibodeau, who with a few others, are trying to change the New York State law on Mental Health concerning people who were institutionalized in the 19th and 20th centuries. I know, it’s ridiculous that we even have to do this but that’s New York State and the Office of Mental Health. This HIPAA Law should not even apply to people dead for fifty years and that is according to Federal Law that was passed in 2013. Keep your fingers crossed and pray. I don’t know who else would ever pick up this task after this giant effort. Thank you to all of you who sent your story in! I’m closing the application.

Sincerely, Lin Stuhler

“Good evening, all,

“My name is Ryan Thibodeau, and I’m part of the group that is trying to change the state’s mental hygiene laws to make old records of institutionalized people more accessible to families like yours. Many thanks for completing the Google form and for your willingness to share your ancestor’s story. We really appreciate it!

I forwarded the information you entered into the Google form to the journalist several weeks ago and she has indicated that she is pursuing an article on this important topic. I don’t know anything about the timing of the article’s publication, its content, who she’ll be contacting, and when she’ll reach out. That’s out of my hands and up to her discretion.

The group is looking forward to continuing pursuit of our bill in the New York State legislature when the new session opens on January 7. As we ramp up our effort, it’s likely that I’ll write again and ask especially the New York State residents among you to write letters in support of our bill and contact your State legislators to urge their support. Stay tuned!

Once again, thank you so very much for your assistance! I’ll be in touch again soon.

All the best, Ryan”
Ryan Thibodeau, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychology
Licensed (Clinical) Psychologist, New York State
Board Member, NAMI Rochester

THANK YOU FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION! THIS IS NOW CLOSED. 12.7.2025
*****

Increasing Access to Records of Institutionalized People in New York State
WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Beginning in the 19th century, New York State has operated a large number of institutions designed to serve individuals with psychiatric disorders (for example, “insane asylums,” “state hospitals,” “psychiatric centers”), developmental disabilities (for example, “state schools,” “developmental centers”) and other disabilities (for example, an “epileptic colony,” “an inebriate asylum”).

Are you a descendant of a person who was institutionalized in one of these places in New York State?

Is your knowledge of your ancestor or the circumstances surrounding their institutionalization limited? Would you like to learn more about them?

Have you tried but failed to get New York State – the Office of Mental Health (OMH), the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), or facilities they operated – to release records of your ancestor’s institutionalization?

A group in New York State is trying to change the state’s mental hygiene laws to make old records of institutionalized people more accessible to families. As part of this effort, the group has connected with a journalist who may be interested in writing an article about this topic. If you would be willing to share your story with the journalist to be featured in a possible article, please complete the brief form below. Your information will then be forwarded to the journalist. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Willard Cemetery at FIND A GRAVE

Posted on December 14, 2022 by lsstuhler

New York State Hospitals at FIND A GRAVE

As I find more, I will add them to this list.

Willard State Hospital Cemetery: Willard Asylum Cemetery in Willard, New York – Find a Grave Cemetery

Gowanda State Hospital Cemetery: Gowanda State Hospital Cemetery in Collins, New York – Find a Grave Cemetery

Binghamton State Hospital Cemetery: Binghamton State Hospital Cemetery in Binghamton, New York – Find a Grave Cemetery

Central Islip State Hospital (No Names-Only Numbered Graves): Central Islip State Hospital Grounds Cemetery in Central Islip, New York – Find a Grave Cemetery

UPDATE Craig Colony Cemetery

Posted on June 27, 2013 by lsstuhler

The volunteers of People Inc. and the Museum of disABILITY History will be cleaning up the Craig Colony for Epileptics Cemetery and the white marble engraved headstones this summer as part of the nationwide movement Operation Dignity to restore local institutional cemeteries. The fact that there are headstones and that they are engraved with the patients’ name is rare. The names of the 2,274 people buried in this cemetery can be found at Find A Grave. The following photographs were taken and sent to me by David Mack-Hardiman, Director of Training, People Inc. To volunteer, please contact David Mack-Hardiman at: dmack@people-inc.org.

We still need this bill to pass! Please call or write a letter to your state senator and tell them that you support this bill! S2514-2013 – NY Senate Open Legislation – Relates to patients interred at state mental health hospital cemeteries – New York State Senate.

Craig Colony 1 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 2 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 3 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 4 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 5 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 6 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 7 – 6.2013

Craig Colony 8 – 6.2013

Cemetery Restoration – People Inc. & The Museum of disABILITY History

Posted on June 5, 2013 by lsstuhler

In Remembrance by David Mack-Hardiman, Director of Training, People Inc.

More than one million Americans are buried in institutional cemeteries. Many institutions which served people who had mental illness or developmental disabilities are now closed. Upon their closure, the cemeteries have been abandoned or passed on to the current owner of the property. Because the monuments were made more cheaply than traditional gravestones, time and neglect have taken their toll. Some grave markers are broken, leaning, tipped over, sunken under the ground, or tossed off into the weeds. Many of them are just numbers with no further clue as to the identity of the person. (TO VOLUNTEER, PLEASE CONTACT DAVID MACK-HARDIMAN at dmack@people-inc.org.)

Cast Iron Monument #100 in the Wheater Road Cemetery in Gowanda

Seven years ago, People Inc. and the Museum of disABILITY History aligned with the statewide 1033 Group and the nationwide Operation Dignity movement to embark upon the restoration of some local institutional cemeteries.

In 2006, a monument was placed in the Jolls Road Cemetery in Perrysburg. On a hillside in the cemetery, the graves of nearly four hundred residents of various state institutions were discovered. Some had small headstones but for many, there is no permanent marker. Self-Advocacy groups from Western New York planned the Ceremony of Remembrance during which the monument was unveiled.

Monument in the Jolls Road Cemetery in Perrysburg

In 2007, work began at the Gowanda Psychiatric Center Cemetery on Route 62 in Gowanda. More than five hundred grave markers were photographed and documented. They were dusted, edged, and cleaned. Community businesses provided support and officials of the Collins Correctional Facility assisted the project in numerous ways. Many markers had sunken under the ground including an entire Jewish section which contained more than thirty graves marked with the Star of David. Once all stones were accounted for and placed again on the surface, a Ceremony of Remembrance was held on a warm, breezy day. Former patients and employees of the facility joined Self-Advocacy groups, State officials, numerous People Inc. volunteers and the Superintendents of the Correctional Facility for a memorable event. The names of all those buried there were given to the Museum of disABILITY History.

Memorial Cemetery sign installed by People Inc. in 2007

In a grassy hollow along the banks of Clear Creek in Collins, volunteers spent the next three summers restoring the Wheater Road Cemetery. More than five hundred headstones were unearthed in an area which was about the size of a football field. Taking the utmost care not to damage the long buried markers, volunteers tapped the earth until they felt resistance, carefully dug around the stones and lifted them to the surface. They were washed with water and placed back on the surface. In addition, more than five hundred other grave markers were straightened and reinforced with shims or gravel. Hundreds of red tulips were planted throughout the cemetery and a heart shaped garden was constructed. A Remembrance Ceremony was held at this location as well, including a release of doves by Self-Advocates. Media attention led some families to contact the Museum of disABILITY History, which assisted them in finding the final resting places for their ancestors.

#502 in the Protestant section is unearthed in the Wheater Road Cemetery

In 2012, the volunteers shifted focus to Niagara County and the site of the former Niagara County Almshouse. Virtually undisturbed for ninety-six years, this cemetery had just a few stones which appeared to be marking graves. Nature had literally taken over the site with thick overgrowth of grape vines, wild roses, Hawthorne trees, and poison ivy. Initially, it was very difficult to determine the boundaries of the cemetery. With community assistance and volunteer labor, the site gradually began to take shape. The volunteers cut back the vines, trimmed trees, weeded, and created a beautiful corner space in which a memorial bench was installed. In a beautiful ceremony, the names of many of those buried there were read, including the foundlings and those whose names were, “unknown.” After the ceremony, several family members inquired about their ancestors and have been provided information from the almshouse registers.

The Niagara County Almshouse Cemetery

This summer, volunteers will assist with cleaning the marble headstones at Craig Colony Cemetery in Sonyea. People Inc. and the Museum of disABILITY History will join with Self-Advocates from the Finger Lakes area, town historians, and, the employees of the Groveland Correctional Facility to complete yet another, fulfilling cemetery restoration.
New York State Hospitals and Custodial Institutions & Cemetery Projects.

Mental Illness & Ignorance

Posted on June 2, 2013 by lsstuhler

I am the first to admit that I didn’t have a clue about what mental illness really is, and I have never claimed to be an expert on this issue, because I am not. When I discovered that my great-grandmother was sent to Willard State Hospital at the end of her life, it made my stomach flip and I felt overwhelming sadness. I remember reading her obituary over and over again to see if I had read it correctly. I even asked myself, could there be another state hospital at Willard that wasn’t a mental institution? Did she really die there? Why was she sent there? What was her diagnoses? Before I lose your attention, let me explain who was sent to Willard so that you will no longer be uneducated, unaware, or uninformed. Anyone who was not considered “normal” was sent to Willard including the elderly with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Remember, there really were no nursing homes until the 1950s. Others were Hearing Impaired, had Developmental Disabilities, were Trauma Victims including Victims of Domestic Violence and Rape (back then they called it “Seducer’s Victim”), had PTSD (Soldier’s Heart & Shell Shock), Menopausal Women, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Brain Injuries, Stroke Victims, Epilepsy, Neurological Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, and some were locked up because of their sexual orientation, personal beliefs, and religious beliefs.

You have to ask yourself, why are we so ignorant on this issue? Why are we receiving the great majority of mental health information from television commercials put out by the pharmaceutical companies and Dr. Phil? God Bless Him! Why is the jail at Riker’s Island being used as the largest mental health facility in the country? This is how we used to treat the mentally ill 150 years ago. When we pay our taxes which is a huge burden on the people of New York State, we assume that the people appointed to these high paying positions are actually doing their jobs and taking care of the people they are supposed to be advocating for; those who need the most help. Obviously, this is not the case and this abuse of the public trust needs to end.

Are burial records available to the public? Yes, but you would have to sit in the town clerk’s office and pull out each record that applies to that county’s particular state hospital or custodial institution. If you post their names online, you run the risk of being charged $10,000 for each violation, or each person. It would be much easier to record this information from each institution’s burial ledgers. Is it ridiculous that the Office of Mental Health classified burial records from state facilities as medical records? Yes. Were they really protecting the identities of former patients? No. In every correspondence that I received, it was made crystal clear that this was done to protect the families because some may find it offensive. Not only has the OMH insulted families and descendants of these people who were buried in anonymous graves, they have contributed to the stigma. They need to step out of the way, focus on the living, and hand over the burial ledgers to cemetery groups and responsible volunteers who will get the job done at NO cost to the state. Our ancestors and our families have nothing to be ashamed of! That would be like being ashamed of heart disease or diabetes. Putting names on a memorial, headstone, or list, should not be offensive to anyone, unless, of course, you are ignorant.

“I Got A Name” by Jim Croce
Abused and Used – New York Times
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees

The list of these former New York State Hospitals includes but is not limited to: Binghamton, Buffalo, Central Islip, Dannemora, Edgewood, Gowanda, Hudson River, Kings Park, Long Island, Manhattan, Matteawan, Middletown, Mohansic, Pilgrim, Rochester, St. Lawrence, Syracuse, Utica, and Willard. The Feeble-Minded and Epileptic Custodial Institutions of New York includes but is not limited to: Craig Colony for Epileptics, Letchworth Village for Epileptics & Developmentally Disabled, Newark State School for Developmentally Disabled Women, Rome State School for Developmentally Disabled Adults & Children, and Syracuse State School for Developmentally Disabled Children. There may be more.

A Day at Willard Cemetery 5.18.2013

Posted on May 26, 2013 by lsstuhler

On Saturday, May 18, 2013, I visited the Willard Cemetery for a second time. This was the day of the annual Willard Tour that benefits a day care center on the old Willard property. Hundreds of people attended the tour and a good crowd gathered at the cemetery. Quite a bit has changed since my first visit on May 14, 2011, when the grass was up to my knees and no one was there but me, my husband, and two of our friends. It was a very sad place. The Willard Cemetery Memorial Project was formed by Colleen Kelly Spellecy in 2011. She has done a fabulous job organizing the group, having a sign installed at the entrance, raising awareness about the project, getting the cemetery lawn mowed, and collecting donations. I was happy to see so many concerned people at the cemetery.

Now there is hope, not only for the Willard Cemetery but for all state hospital and custodial institution cemeteries across the State of New York. A bill was introduced to the NYS Legislature in March 2012 and was re-introduced on January 18, 2013 as S2514-2013. If this bill becomes law, then the names of our forgotten ancestors will be released. They will finally be honored and remembered with dignity. This bill specifically addresses the “burial records” issue. Although HIPAA has stepped out of the way to allow individual states to release “medical records” 50 years after a patient has died, I am not sure if this issue was specifically addressed in this bill. Let’s take one step at a time and be grateful for what is in the works right now! Anyone who has ever dealt with the New York State Office of Mental Health in trying to obtain any type of information on an ancestor, whether it concerns asking where they are buried or obtaining a medical record, knows how arrogant and non-responsive they are unless you have a Ph.D. after your name. This needs to change.

Another fact that people don’t realize is that the great majority, if not all, of these historical cemeteries are “inactive” which means no one else will be buried there. I hope that ALL names are released including more recent burials. For example, when Willard closed in 1995, a gentleman was transferred to another facility. When he died in 2000, he asked to be buried in the Willard Cemetery because this was his home. Who will be here in 2050 to add this man’s name to a headstone or memorial? Who allowed these cemeteries to become forgotten?

Who was sent to Willard? Anyone who was not considered “normal” including the elderly with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease. Remember, there really were no nursing homes until the 1950s. Others were Hearing Impaired, had Developmental Disabilities, were Trauma Victims including Victims of Domestic Violence and Rape (back then they called it “Seducer’s Victim”), had PTSD (Soldier’s Heart & Shell Shock), Menopausal Women, Depression, Anxiety Disorders, Brain Injuries, Stroke Victims, Epilepsy, Neurological Disorders, Psychiatric Disorders, and some were locked up because of their sexual orientation, personal beliefs, and religious beliefs. These people, their families, and descendants, have nothing to be ashamed of. That would be like being ashamed of heart disease or diabetes. Putting names on a memorial, headstone, or list, should not be offensive to anyone.

Also attending the tour on this day was Seth Voorhees, Senior Reporter for the Time Warner Cable news channel YNN that serves Rochester and the Finger Lakes. Mr. Voorhees was genuinely interested in my mission to get this law passed in New York and offered me the opportunity of an interview. Although I am not a public speaker, I jumped at the chance to get the word out to a larger audience. I can’t thank him enough for all the time he spent putting this video report together. This piece aired on YNN, Saturday, May 25, 2013. I also need to thank Senator Joseph E. Robach for drafting and introducing the bill to the New York State Legislature. I hope this piece will raise awareness about the anonymous graves issue as this was never about patient confidentiality, it’s about respect.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees.
Not Forgotten by Colleen Spellecy.

The Feeble-Minded and Epileptic Custodial Institutions of New York includes but is not limited to: Craig Colony for Epileptics, Letchworth Village for Epileptics & Developmentally Disabled, Newark State School for Developmentally Disabled Women, Rome State School for Developmentally Disabled Adults & Children, and Syracuse State School for Developmentally Disabled Children. There may be more.

Seth Voorhees & Lin Stuhler 5.18.2013

Roger Luther from nysAsylum.com & Lin Stuhler 5.18.2013

Colleen Spellecy, Craig Williams, Lin Stuhler 5.18.2013

Willard Cemetery Sign 5.18.2013

Willard Cemetery Memorial Project 5.18.2013

Willard Cemetery 5.18.2013

Old Metal Marker 5.18.2013

Willard Cemetery 5.18.2013

This photo is of the Civil War Veterans Section of the cemetery. They were provided with clearly inscribed headstones from the government. Colleen discovered that a few of them were not “inmates” of Willard but were residents of the town. I wonder how many other United States Veterans who served their country with honor but ended up at Willard are buried here among the 5,776 in anonymous graves?

Syracuse State School & Cemetery

Posted on May 24, 2013 by lsstuhler

Syracuse State School – New York State Custodial Institution for Intellectually Disabled Children. The children who died at the Syracuse State School are buried at Oakwood Cemetery in Syracuse, New York.

1916 Syracuse State Custodial Institution For Feeble-Minded Children.

State Idiot Asylum at Syracuse 1858

“AN ACT making an appropriation for the purchase of grounds for burial purposes for the use of the Syracuse State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children. Became a law February 11, 1896, with the approval of the Governor. Passed by a two-thirds vote. The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows: Section 1. The trustees of the Syracuse State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children are hereby authorized to purchase sufficient grounds, in Oakwood cemetery, at Syracuse, for the burial of four hundred and eight of such inmates of the institution as may die while residing therein; and the sum of nineteen hundred and fifty-eight dollars and forty cents, or so much thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated out of any money in the treasury belonging to the general fund, not otherwise appropriated, payable to the order of the treasurer of the institution, for carrying out the purposes of his act; subject to the approval of the comptroller as to the value of the grounds, and of the attorney-general as to the form and terms of the conveyance thereof. § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.”
SOURCE: General Laws of the State of New York, Volume I, Chapter 16, Page 10, One Hundred Nineteenth Session, January 1, 1896 – April 30, 1896, Google Books

“The New York State Asylum for Idiots was authorized by the New York State Legislature in 1851, acting upon a recommendation contained in the 1846 annual report of the New York State Asylum for Lunatics. Hervey B. Wilbur, M.D., was appointed the first superintendent and remained in that position until his death in 1883. First located on rented land in Albany, it admitted its first ‘pupils’ in 1851. The cornerstone was laid in 1854 for a new building in Syracuse, and the institution removed to Syracuse in 1855. After 1855 it was generally known as either the New York Asylum for Idiots or just the State Idiot Asylum, but in 1891 it was officially renamed the Syracuse State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children. In 19?? the name was changed to The Syracuse State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children, and later became just the Syracuse State School. Wilbur collaborated with Edward Seguin, M.D., the originator of the physiological method of training. Maria Montessori was also Seguin’s student and much of the ‘Montessori Method‘ is based on foundations laid by Wilbur and Seguin in Syracuse. In its 85th annual report (1935), the Syracuse State School rightly noted that it was ‘the pioneer institution in the United States for the care and training of mentally deficient children.’ Surgery was done in the old building, and at least one child was born there. The School also operated a farm and a number of satellite cottages. In the 1970s, the Syracuse State School building was torn down and replaced by a residential facility called the Syracuse Developmental Center. With the growing emphasis on community living rather than institutionalization for developmentally disabled persons, no new individuals were placed at SDC and there has been a gradual movement of residents into the community. In early 1998, there were about six persons left. SDC is to be closed, and it is not clear what will happen to the building.”
SOURCE: Upstate Medical University, Health Sciences Library, A Short History of Selected Hospitals in Syracuse

Syracuse State Institution for Feeble-Minded Children

Photograph courtesy of The Museum of disABILITY History

“The first of these institutions, The New York State Asylum for Idiots, was established near Albany in 1851. The idea for such a school had originally been proposed in 1846 by senator Frederick F. Backus, a physician from Rochester. However, because many legislators reserved skepticism about the educability of ‘idiots’ and had concerns over the cost of such an experiment, the measure took five years to pass. These doubts proved to be unfounded, for the students achieved such favorable progress that the school’s Board of Trustees declared, in 1853, that the experiment had ‘entirely and fully succeeded.’ The legislature responded by funding the construction of a new building, which opened in 1855. This building, located in Syracuse, was the first in the United States designed specifically for children with developmental disabilities. Under the dedicated leadership of Dr. Hervey Backus Wilbur, superintendent for the initial thirty-two years of operation, this institution provided inspiration to many other states seeking to establish similar schools of their own.”
SOURCE: Museum Of disABILITY History, Early State Schools in New York by Thomas Stearns, Contributor.

Account of the ceremonies at the laying of the corner-stone of the New York Asylum for Idiots: at Syracuse, September 8, 1854.

Seventh Annual Report of the New-York Asylum for Idiots to the Legislature of the State of New York 1858.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees

THE BAD NEWS: Thousands Remain Nameless! 6.15.2015.

THE GOOD NEWS: One Man Is Remembered! 6.14.2015.

Newark State School for Women & Cemetery

Posted on May 24, 2013 by lsstuhler

New York State School – Newark Custodial Institution for Developmentally Disabled, Childbearing Age Women. February 17, 1932, Begins Accepting Boys.

1878-1885: The Newark State School operated as part of the Syracuse State School.
1885: By statute erected as the State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women.
1919: Name changed to Newark State School for Mental Defectives.
1927: Became a part of the Department of Mental Hygiene and name changed to Newark State School.
1932: Accepts boys.

1916 Newark State Custodial Institution For Feeble-Minded Women.
Early State Schools in New York.
State of New York Thirty-Seventh Annual Report of the Board of Managers of the Newark State School for Mental Defectives, 1921 – Through – Fifty-Ninth Annual Report of the Board of Visitors of the Newark State School, at Newark, Wayne County, New York to the Department of Mental Hygiene 1943.

Newark State School 1937

Newark State School 1937-2

Newark State School 1937-3

Newark State School for Women

Photograph courtesy of The Museum of disABILITY History

“The New York State Custodial Asylum for Feeble-Minded Women was established in 1878 in response to an increasing awareness that almshouses were improper places for ‘feeble-minded’ women. Social reformer Josephine Shaw Lowell led the crusade, with assistance from the State Board of Charities. Lowell delivered several reports before the state legislature expressing her concern that feeble-minded women often disregarded moral and sexual restraint when placed in the undisciplined environment of an almshouse and frequently had illegitimate children who, in turn, became dependent on the state for their welfare. Women of child-bearing age, fifteen to forty-five, were admitted into this institution, in order to “prevent them from multiplying their kind.” (New York State Board of Charities Report, 1879).

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees

THE BAD NEWS: Thousands Remain Nameless! 6.15.2015.

THE GOOD NEWS: One Man Is Remembered! 6.14.2015.

Letchworth Village for the Developmentally Disabled and Epileptics & Cemetery

Posted on May 24, 2013 by lsstuhler

Letchworth Village – New York State Custodial Institution for Epileptics and the Intellectually Disabled.

1916 Letchworth Village State Custodial Institution For Feeble-Minded and Epileptics.
Letchworth Village Cemetery Names – Find A Grave.
Legend Tripping in Letchworth Village – AbandonedNYC – Will Ellis.

Letchworth Village

Photograph courtesy of The Museum of disABILITY History

“Letchworth Village was established in 1912 to alleviate overcrowding at the existing state institutions of New York. Because the institution admitted people with developmental disabilities and people with epilepsy, a complex system of classification was established for both living arrangements and the educational training methods. Significant efforts were undertaken to ensure that the institutional atmosphere resembled a calm country village and emphasis was placed on the students’ happiness. Letchworth Village also focused on scientific research and Dr. George A. Jervis received international acclaim for his studies on phenylketonuria (PKU) in the 1930s.”

There is a plaque at the cemetery that has all the names of the patients who are buried there. I do not know if the town or any particular group maintains the cemetery.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees

THE BAD NEWS: Thousands Remain Nameless! 6.15.2015.

THE GOOD NEWS: One Man Is Remembered! 6.14.2015.

Craig Colony for Epileptics & Cemetery

Posted on May 24, 2013 by lsstuhler

Craig Colony – New York State Custodial Institution for Epileptics.

1916 Craig Colony State Custodial Institution For Epileptics.
Craig Colony Cemetery Names – Find A Grave.
UPDATE Craig Colony for Epileptics Cemetery – June 2013.

Craig Colony for Epileptics

Photograph courtesy of The Museum of disABILITY History

“The Craig Colony for Epileptics was established in 1894 following the discovery of a promising new method of treatment for people with epilepsy. This method, known as the ‘colony care plan,’ was discovered by Dr. Frederick Peterson, a physician at the Hudson River State Hospital for the Insane. He had observed that the epileptic patients under his care were subjected to conditions that provided little remedy for their illness, and became interested in the search for ways to improve their treatment. In 1886, while on an “inspection tour of foreign asylums,” he came across Bethel Colony in the city of Bielefeld, located in the Westphalia region of Germany. Bethel Colony consisted of several thousand people with epilepsy living and working together to create a self-sufficient community. There were no secret remedies, and no all-healing drugs, there was simply attention paid to a proper diet, proper habits and a therapeutic environment. Most importantly, the inhabitants labored during the day to bring about a healthy physiological fatigue. Physicians believed that this helped exert energy that would otherwise have been released during an epileptic seizure.” (American Journal of Insanity, Vol. 49, 1893).

It appears that Craig Colony had at least some engraved headstones.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE VIDEO They’re Buried Where? by Seth Voorhees

THE BAD NEWS: Thousands Remain Nameless! 6.15.2015.

THE GOOD NEWS: One Man Is Remembered! 6.14.2015.

The Inmates of Willard 1870 to 1900 / A Genealogy Resource

Tag Archives: NY State Hospital & Custodial Institution Cemeteries

THANK YOU!

Willard Cemetery at FIND A GRAVE

Syracuse State School & Cemetery

Newark State School for Women & Cemetery

Letchworth Village for the Developmentally Disabled and Epileptics & Cemetery

Craig Colony for Epileptics & Cemetery

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