Chippewa Falls in Chippewa County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled
Photographed By Keith L, April 27, 2011
1. Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled Marker
Inscription.
Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled. . Before the 19th-century social reform movement, developmentally disabled people were relegated to almshouses and county poor farms where the “indigent, insane, epileptic and “idiotic” were housed together without regard to individual condition. Reformists advocated more humane treatment of the socially-dependent and by the mid-19th century had demonstrated the educability of the “mentally deficient” and opened homes for their care and training. In 1895, Wisconsin allocated $100,000 for the establishment of its first institution for the developmentally disabled. Located in Chippewa Falls on 600 acres of land offered by the city, the “Wisconsin Home for the Feebleminded” opened June 17, 1897. The home, renamed the “Northern Wisconsin Colony and Training School” in 1923, provided care for children and adults and taught skills in self-care, farming, housekeeping, arts and crafts, and academics. In the 1970s, a new emphasis was placed on community care of the developmentally disabled, and the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled, renamed in 1976, began providing outreach services to individuals and communities.
Before the 19th-century social reform movement, developmentally disabled people were relegated to almshouses and county poor farms where the “indigent, insane, epileptic and “idiotic” were housed together without regard to individual condition. Reformists advocated more humane treatment of the socially-dependent and by the mid-19th century had demonstrated the educability of the “mentally deficient” and opened homes for their care and training. In 1895, Wisconsin allocated $100,000 for the establishment of its first institution for the developmentally disabled. Located in Chippewa Falls on 600 acres of land offered by the city,
the “Wisconsin Home for the Feebleminded” opened June 17, 1897. The home, renamed the “Northern Wisconsin Colony and Training School” in 1923, provided care for children and adults and taught skills in self-care, farming, housekeeping, arts and crafts, and academics. In the 1970s, a new emphasis was placed on community care of the developmentally disabled, and the Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled, renamed in 1976, began providing outreach services to individuals and communities.
Erected 1996 by the Wisconsin Historical Society. (Marker Number 330.)
Location. 44° 55.858′ N, 91° 21.596′ W. Marker is in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, in Chippewa County. Marker is on Forest Avenue north of East Park Avenue (County Highway J), on the left when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2820 East Park Avenue, Chippewa Falls WI 54729, United States of America. Touch for directions.
2. Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled Marker
Photographed By Keith L, October 14, 2008
3. Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled Marker
A picture of the marker at its original location.
Photographed By Keith L, October 14, 2008
4. Northern Wisconsin Center for the Developmentally Disabled Marker
A picture of the marker at its original location.
Credits. This page was last revised on October 23, 2021. It was originally submitted on November 3, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. This page has been viewed 6,064 times since then and 312 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 3, 2011, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. 3, 4. submitted on November 3, 2008, by Keith L of Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.