The Ladd School
Located in Exeter Rhode Island, are the remains of the Ladd School. The school was founded originally to serve as a state facility for people with mental disabilities or developmental differences. It was founded in 1908, with the hope of training young people with disabilities in trade work and farmwork. Sadly, the institution’s forefather was Dr. Walter Fernald, a known eugenicist whose main purpose was to remove those with different abilities from society by removing certain genes. This ideology would define the purpose and course of the school, and lead to horrible abuse of which the after-effects linger on. Today, the school is abandoned, but the spirits of the past inhabit its corridors, causing many to believe that it's one of the most haunted places in Rhode Island.
The Ladd School, also known as the Rhode Island School for the Feeble Minded, opened its doors in 1909 with only eight patients. However, within a few years, the population had skyrocketed, and the number of patients had risen to more than 365. The school was grossly overcrowded, and funds were inadequate to provide for even the most basic necessities, such as dental care, a morgue, or recreational facilities. It was clear that the staff was overwhelmed, and problems started emerging. And, this was no secret. In fact, the Providence Journal wrote about the school in the mid-1930s, lambasting it for its lack of functioning hospitals and poor living conditions. In the investigation, it also came to light that there were NO psychological exams given for entry.
In 1958, after 50 years of operation and numerous scandals, an inquiry about the state of the school was launched. It was found that often children were roomed head to feet and side by side on cots that were placed less than a foot apart. Many children were often beaten and verbally abused every day due to their bad behaviour (which was likely beyond their control, or at the very least, a response to their awful living conditions). Many of the rooms provided were not equipped with essentials, like a sink or toilet. The entire grounds were filled with rats, bugs, and other issues of poor care. However, while this probe (related to a class action lawsuit) revealed horrifying truths about the institution it was not ordered to close. It would continue to operate for nearly another 20 years. In 1986, the Governor of Rhode Island at the time, Edward DiPrete, announced that the Ladd school was closed. However, it wasn't easy to rehome the many inhabitants, and the last patients were not relocated until a decade later. The school truly closed in the 1990s.
Today, it is no surprise that many locals believe the abandoned school that purveyed over unknown horrors is still actively haunted by the souls that met their end there. It's common to hear phantom voices but, unlike other places where it's whispered conversations or even yelling, typically the activity reported is devastating moans. Many have also reported hearing people in distress calling out for help. Animal noises, particularly growls, are often also reported from rooms that previously housed patients.
Today, many of the buildings have been demolished but a handful still stand, including the Fogarty Building. While proposals of what to do with the land and collapsing buildings have cropped up over the years, nothing has stuck. And, perhaps the land and the crumbling facades can act as a reminder to never create something like that again. Despite that, there are several smaller outlying buildings that were newer to the facility that are still used by other organizations.
The featured blog image does not depict the Ladd School. It is from Flickr user Tim Sackton, “From Monday (my usual night to work late), the deserted hallway outside my office at 10 pm.” It is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 DEED, Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic
Thanks to theamphibiousman for the blogstonishing suggestion!