Comments
Jungle

John

Hi Gaebler 1988,
I was on D Ward, but it that was before your time.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

Daron,
2 nd floor, turn left, that is A Ward, but, like I said, it was used for a daycare during the day. They brought little kids in during the day and they stayed there, it was a daycare.
At night it was empty.
And if they needed extra room for seclusion, you was placed in here.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

If memory serves correct, there is a chain link fence down in the basement that closed off an area of the tunnel.
I'm pretty sure of it.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

Hi Motts,
Sounds like your in Worster? Or Springfield?
You have been in there Motts, and I'm sure some where along the way you traveled that route to an extent.
I doubt if you get in from the main lobby area, like we did when it was open, the lobby just had candy machines and soda machines, (LOL, Almost used POP, Have to remember it's called Soda in MA, )
Offices on the left hand side, only 3 or 4 offices though, Mr. Heathwood's office was the first or second office on the left, then the door into the place.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Leaving

John

Hi Allyssa,
no problem, I don't mind answering questions.
If you have questions, please ask them.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

it's amazing, I still remember the layout of all the places I have been in, from Wellington Hall, to this place, to Devereux, RFK, kolburne etc, I still remember, but yet, I couldn't tell you what I had for lunch yesterday. LOL.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

That's about it for my tour. The 4th floor has classrooms and medical on it.
Not too bad for someone who hasn't been there in 22 or 23 years. And not too bad for remembering the layout of B Ward, and that has been 34 or 35 years ago.
Not too shabby if I say so myself.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

Leave the area and return to the stairwell. Go up the next flight of stairs. To your left is E Ward. To your right is B Ward.
The only place I have been on E Ward is the Seclusion rooms that are on the right hand side just before you enter E Ward.
Let's turn right and head down to B Ward.
As you enter B Ward there should be a door to your left, this has a hallway in it and on your right hand side as your walking down this hallway are rooms, these are seclusion rooms.
At the end of this hallway is a single door, this was an office. My room is directly to your right.
When you turn around and leave this hallway, I think the office is directly in front of you.
turn left, and there is a door on your left, this was the bathroom, (Did I leave the bathroom out on D Ward???)
I think there is a door just about opposite the bathroom, I think this was a large room, we slept in here, continue onward, there is a door on your right, this was the room that they had toys in. Continue onward, a water fountain on your left, and a room kiddie corner on your right, this room was used for visitations.
I beleive the rest of the tour here is like D Ward, a shower room on your right just a little bit down the hallway and another room with that stairwell on the left.
We can now enter that and go up to the 4th floor, or return back to the main stairwell and head up that way.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

NOTE: When I said to your right was a large room, this was my room? That should be left.
Then the other room to your right

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

Open the door and step out into the hallway.
To your left is A Ward.
Head in that direction, you will see the door that leads into A Ward. On your left is another door, inside this are 2 Seclusion rooms.
Back When I there, A Ward was used as a Daycare, no one lived on this ward. So the Seclusion rooms is as far as I have been on A Ward.
Turn around and leave A Ward. D Ward is straight ahead of you down the hallway.
As you walk down the hallway, there is a door on your left, this room had a ping pong table in it and that is where we played ping pong. Continue down the hallway, you will come to another door on your left, this room had a pool table in it. Continue down the hallway.
You will now come to a set of double doors, this is the gym.
Explore if you want, to your left there is a door that was used to keep basketballs and roller skates and stuff like that. At the back of the gym, by the stage, there is a door, this leads up to the classrooms on the 4th floor. We're not taken these stairs yet.
On the right hand side of the stage, if memory serves correct, and please correct me if I am wrong, there should be a bathroom here.
I know there is a bathroom back around the stage.
Turn around and leave the gym.
Turn to your left and continue towards D Ward.
Right before you enter D Ward, there is a door on your left, this was the tv room, when you enter here there is a door on your right, middle of the room, this leads into the office.
Turn around and head back out the tv room. Turn left and enter D Ward.
On your left is the door to the office, on your right is a door that leads to 2 Seclusion rooms.
Continue forward, on your right is a doorway, this is a fairly large room, this was where I stayed.
To your right, is another large room, I also stayed in this room, a night during a ligthning storm, the lightning would light up the boston skyline.
Continue down the rest of D Ward, there is a door to your left, this was the bathroom, continue on, a water fountain is on your left, just kiddie corner is a door on your right, this was one of the girls rooms, continue on, a door on your right, this was the shower room.
Continue on, a door on your right, this was another girls room. continue on and a door to your left is another stairwell that takes you to all 4 levels.
But we are not going that way, that way is dull. Nothing of interest that way unless you like to see the bathroom down the ground floor.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

From here, since you just left the print and wood shop, the door on your left is the door to the cafeteria.
Enter through this door, on your left is a long steel lunch line.
Follow this around and you enter the main seating area of the cafeteria.
there is a door somewhere to your left that leads outside.
But, turn to your right, and you will see a large brick wall, there is a door in the middle of this wall.
Pass through this door. You are now back in the hallway, turn to your left and follow the hallway until you come to another set of 3 or 4 stairs.
This leads to the area that we had Coffee Hour in on the weekends.
Turn around and head back down the hallway to the stairs.
Enter the stair well.
Going down will take you to the basement, we don't want that area.
Go up 1 flight of stairs and a door is to your right.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

Daron,
If you need more details about the layout, I'll try to tell them to you here.
From the main floor, 1st floor, I have to do this from the stair well, because that is how I remember it.
From the door to the stairs, turn around and face the wall directly ahead, door to your back.
Turn to your left, an elevator is next to you. walk forward until to come to 3 or 4 stairs, that lead down to the landing.
A door is now in front of you, with a door to your right.
The door directly in front, was used for classrooms.
When you enter this, on your left was the print shop, to your right was the woodshop. Continue straight ahead, a door to your left was a class that taught knitting.
That is all I remember of that area.
Turn around and go back out the door that you just entered from.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

Daron,
No problem, would love to see more pictures.
If I had the money I would be at Logan in a heart beat, just to see the place again.
I'm on the other side of the United States, in Colorado. A long way away. LOL

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Plant

John

Amazing shot!

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Jungle

John

I did, I sent them an email.
We'll see what happens.
Maybe I can get a chance to be part of a doc on this place.
I think they should hurry though, I don't think that place will be standing for much longer.
I don't know why, but I'm getting the feeling that very soon, within a year the place will be torn down.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

ohhh, and the light switch is not a light switch as we know it, it has 2 small holes that you needed a special key for, that was how they turned the lights on for the office, I remember this well because I used a paper clip to turn the office lights on.
I used to listen to the Monkeys on the record player that was in the office.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Auditorium

John

But turn right and go to B ward, the door to the rooms is on your left, I think just inside B ward, there should be a door on your left, when you enter it, you will see seclusion rooms that line the right hand side of the hallway.
There is a single door at the very end of the hallway, a metal box that has a light switch is on the right hand side of this door. From this office door, turn to your right, this was my room.
I hope this was detailed enough.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Bath Time Fun

John

Chris,
When was you there?
What is 3 east??
Wards A, B, D and E was the only names that was used.
It was painted on the doors and I think on the wall as well.
Even when they needed help, they wouls shout "All available help on D as in David, all available help on D as in David". And then you had an army of eager bodies rushing at you to restrain you and strip you naked and place you in seclusion.
If they changed the names, that makes us old timers. LOL

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Sliced

John

Back in the 80's on D-ward we was allowed to smoke and they kept our smokes in that little room in back of the office that lead to the tv room.
We could only smoke in the tv room.
Anyone else remember that?

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Jungle

John

You all say this was the activities room?
The same room we had coffee shop in on the weekends?
When you come down to the first floor you turn right and go to the end of the hallway. That room?
I don't remember those pictures being on the wall. But if that's the room, I know it as the place we had Coffee Shop on the weekends.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Leaving

John

The only reason I was there back in the 80's was because Gary Trent, my social worker, my friend, and the only family I had, needed a place for me stay until a bed opened up in Kolburne.
Considering that I was kicked out of Devereux
School for repeated run aways.
I was a ward of the state, Lived in Devereux, Wellington Hall, RFK, Kolburne, I was all over.

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Leaving

John

maman01,
But I don't think you was in the same room as us.
Was you in the room straight across from us?
OMG, if you were, you have to remember Danny, When he took his shoes off the paint would peel and hazmat workers would come to close the area!
No Bull, that kid HAD FEET!!!! LOL

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Leaving

John

maman01,
I'm doing good.
Living life and being free.
What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.
I remember Tony, and Mike I think his name was.
we lived in the same room. Both Tony and Mike had the beds straight ahead as you walk into the room, my bed was at the end of the room on the right hand side next to the tall closet/locker thing.

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Leaving

John

Chris, omg your right, it is seclusion!
I didn't recognize it at first because of the window, it's off center.
That could be because of the angle of the picture.
But you are right, it is seclusion.

Location: Gaebler Children's Center  Gallery: Control

Leaving

John

Hi Allyssa,
Not a whole a lot of romance on D-ward, although I've heard E-Ward was getting lots of action in that department.
Have to find someone who was on E-ward for those stories.
I've only been to E-ward a couple of times, and those times was seclusion. LOL
When I was on D-ward back in the 80's I had a girl friend from E-ward who taught me some chinese.
After we broke up I ended up with a girl friend on D-ward by pure chance.
In fact it started out as a joke.
What I mean by that is, 4 of us was making jokes about seeing each other later that night, I said to Kim I'll see you later, and she said no, and I said something to the effect of what do you mean no, how about giving me a chance?
And she did, and it was cool.
She used to draw pictures of Pacman and Mrs. Pacman and give them to me. I used to hang them up on the wall by my bed.
I still remember her and her last name. But out of privacy for her I leave her last name off.
If she visits and wants to give more about it that is her call.

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