Coffeeshop Bill was only seven
BILL Sackter, founder of Bill's Coffeeshop, was only seven when he was sent to the state mental hospital in Faribault, Minnesota. Bill was sent there shortly after his father died in 1920.
Bill was a resident of Faribault State Hospital for 46 years. It was a giant institution with roots almost as old as the state itrself. Minnesota became a state in 1858; the very first session of the state legislature authorized the establishment of centers for the "training and care of citizens who suffered mental and physical disabilities and for children who are unable to care for themselves."
The "state asylum" opened in 1863. At first, it was a residence for the "deaf, dumb and blind." In 1879, an experimental program for "idiotic and feeble-minded children" was added. Two years later, this became a permanent programunder the name "School for Idiots and Imbeciles."
By the time Bill Sackter arrived at Faribault in 1920, the state hospital had grown into a small city. There were hundreds of people from all over Minnesota living there. The institution continued to grow during most of Bill's years there. By 155, there were more than 3,300 residents.
ONCE sent to Faribault, few individuals ever left. And after they died, many were buried in a cemeter on the state hsopital grounds.
Minnesota was not alone in removing individuals with disabilities from mainstream society. Every other state (and many countries) had similar institutions. In South Dakota, the federal government built such an institution solely for Native Americans.
These institutions were based on a philosophythat such segregation was a good idea. A historical marker on I-35 in southern Minnesota explains that the Faribault state hospital was "established to provide students with activities and training, while protecting them from the slights and rebuffs of the outside world." (The marker is located at the Straight River rest stop between Albert Lea and Cannon Falls.)
COFFEE QUOTES TO KEEP YOU PERKING
DeJa Brew: The feeling that you've had this coffee before.
Coffee strong enough to defend itself -- Slogan at Hard Times Cafe, Minneapolis
Drink coffee: Do stupid things faster with more energy
Coffee! Is the planet shaking or is it just me?
Coffee isn't helping. Get the jumper cables.
posted by Tom Gilsenan @ 10:25 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Do you know what happened to all the folks from the Glen Lake Sanitarium? I lived across the street in 1978, and I think there were still hundreds of residents in the six-story complex. Now, folks pay hundreds of dollars to drive little white balls into little dark holes on pretty green lawns ...
Glen Lake Sanitarium was a residential hospital for individuals with tuberculosis for much of the 20th century. It wasn't the first TB hospital in Minneapolis, but it was one of the earliest. It reached its peak in population in 1929. There were 718 patients at that time, according to state records.
The population started to decline as drugs were developed to fight TB. The last TB patient was discharged from Glen Lake in 1976. In its later years, Glen Lake was a long-term care center for the elderly. That closed in 1991.
The whole place was torn down in 1993. The golf course opened in 1997 and is maintained by the Three Rivers Park District. Betsy Adams wrote a nice story about the history of Glen Lake for the Eden Prairie News a few years ago. You can read the story online at:
www.fbir.org/
District/EPNewsCamp.htm
Wow. I would have never thought that Bill would have been in a state hospital. It still gets me every time I read or hear about people in state hospitals. Coming from a family that has both a mentally handicapped and also a member bound to a wheelchair. Neither of them were sent to a state hospital and I can not imagine them in one. Tom do you know how Bill was able to leave? Or did he just to get a certain age and they let him out?
-Lauren McIntyre
Wow. I would have never thought that Bill was in a mental hospital. Coming from a family that has both a mentally handicapped aunt and a wheelchair bound aunt, I find it hard to read about people who have stayed in a state hospital. I could never be able to picture my family members in a state hospital. Tom do you know why Bill was able to get out? I remember talking in class about how hard it was to get out of a state hospital. Did he just reach a certain age and they let him out or was he just able to leave?
-Lauren McIntyre
It's hard to believe someone so inspirational could have been in a mental hospital for so many years. It's pretty inspiring to know that anyone can do something like this as long as they try to do it. Bill did a lot of great things and should be recognized more for it.
Dustin P
Post a Comment
<< Home