Rome State School?

Specialties Disabilities

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

I am curious if anyone has any ties, professional or personal to the Rome State School in Rome, NY, for the mentally retarded, from the 1950s to early 1070s. I think that now it is a home for the deaf, but I may be incorrect. One of my patients in LTC was a medical student there in the 1930s!!

My brothers lived there from about 1958 to 1972. They are now in upstate NY in different group homes, in their late 50s. I am trying to find info on the internet and am not getting much.

If anyone lives in Oneida County, NY and would email me the phone # for the Historical Society, I would appreciate it. So far, I haven't found it.

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Hello Psalm, If I am correct and you are talking about the huge complex that was the State School in Rome NY; part of the DDSO system. Off of Rt. 26 and 365? It now is divided into 2 med. security state jails. The phone # for the Oneida County Historical Society is 315-735-3642. Their address is 1608 Genesee St., Utica NY 13502. I do hope you get all of the info. you are looking for. Joan

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

Thank you!! I will use the info Thursday when I come home from my night shift!! If anyone else has any info please either post here or PM me. Hugs...

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Hi Psalm: Ran across your post about the Rome State School by accident today. The two of us worked there in the Recreation and Physical Therapy departments from 1965 until the place closed around 1990 and might be able to give you some historical information or whatever. PM me if you're interested. Regards.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

Update: I went home in April for a visit and on the way we drove thru Rome, NY. Rome State School is now a prison, as stated in one of the posts above. I remembered the buildings, some of them. Obviously, we couldn't drive inside, but the buildings were very visible as we drove the perimeter. Dh wouldn't let me take any pics from the car, afraid we'd get stopped and asked why. So an old postcard pic of RSS will have to do.

I had called both Oneida County Historical Society and Rome Historical Society and got little info. What I did get was lots of encouragement from Rome Historical Soc. and none from Oneida.

Thanks for all your help...

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Hi, you could have stopped briefly to take pixs. Perhaps next time you are in the area you will. Check out the Herkimer Historical Society (Oneida HS has always been a pain to deal with regardless of the topic...I think they just don't know the area's history enough and won't be up front about it??)

Herkimer Historical Society

406 Main St.

Herkimer NY

315 866 6413

These people are great to talk with and have frequent presentations from the Adirondaks to the other day was Gettysburg. Hope you get the info. you need.

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my sister was a patient there from about 1949 til 1963. I remember visiting her there it was very sad. she was in a big crib. She had Cerebral Palsey, but I feel if she was born today she would have had some potential, as she was able to sit by herself and before she was placed there could stand with some assistance.

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Hello I was wondering if anybody has an address to Rome State school I would love to see what it looks like on Maps Live. My father and my uncle were in that school in the 50's to the 60's when it got closed for all the abuse that went on in there to the kids. When JFK closed it. If anybody has any other info that would be great thanks

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Check out this site with pictures of the State School. http://www.museumofdisability.org/newyork_map_rome.asp

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Specializes in Staff nurse.
Check out this site with pictures of the State School. http://www.museumofdisability.org/newyork_map_rome.asp

Thank you so much!! Brought back memories of visiting my brothers.

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I would also like to find out any information about Rome State School. My uncle, who I never met, was put there around 1948 or so due to emotional issues, and supposedly committed suicide in the early 1960s by hanging himself. My late mother never believed that her little brother killed himself, and even the telegram by the head of the facility said it was a shock because they had no reason to believe he was depressed.

I wondered if any of the records on the patients who had been there still exist, because I would really like to try to find out what really happened to him, or if anyone is still around who was there and remembers anything. Because of all the abuse I've been hearing went on there, I wonder if he really hung himself or if someone did it to him.

Thanks to anyone who might be able to help!

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

You may try to contact any newspapers to see if the hanging was reported. Or the Historical Society of the county. Let us know what you find.

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