Leaving

Odd....I wonder why no 90 deg. angles?

Windows with minimal light for children is true devastation...

As usual Motts, a great set, but it made me incredibly sad that children were here in such horrible conditions.

What a pity room for the children to stay in even small window.

awwwwwwwwww.no padded cells!

is that a light on the celing?

Can't hide in the corner here.

They put the polish kids in here and when they ask to use the bathroom the staff tells them to go in the corner. Sick bastards.

Why just the polish kids? I think any kid might fall for it, especially the state that the kids had to be in to come here in the first place.

Thats terrible! Another great gallery Motts!

wow.
id hate to have to be put in there.

i mean no 90 degree angles, come on.


great gallery once again Motts.
(:

First off im not joking. I am looking to bguy one of these places to live in. if you hear of any oportunities please let me know. Christian@sascadd.com

Fantastic set. I just wish it was longer. Nicely done, though. Two thumbs up.

We need Lynn on this one

Oh i totally agree with J.R. on this one..

LYNN WHERE ARE THOU??!?!

Why do you need LynnE?

When you trap something, it retreats to a corner. Not here!

With a 90 degree angle some patients can shimee up the wall. The wider angle prevents patients from climbing the walls.

Motts,did you take any photos of the outside?

nice job motts

Great work as always and the round rooms help to prevent injuries from some of the more violant outbursts. There would be no corners to slam into that would be a sharper
area for injury

Ive loved these pics motts you've an exceptional talent the way you do them but you must have some balls on you to go into these places, ive looked through most of your gallerys and been moved by this one the most. The fact that children were kept in these cells and not the most brutal of convicts shocks me. If it wasent for people like you uncovering the harsh realities of institutes like these, they would probly stay the same with unknowing parents trying to do the best for there child sending them there. Good for you, i think your doing a service for the better, well done.

All this just made a kid even sicker and more emotianlly malnourished than is fair..
I am forever saddened by what has happened to me there and what happened to all the ones i loved as friends throughout my two years in the dump..I have a knot in my chest that begs to know why something wasnt dome about this bull!whoeber thought this was the way to treat emotianlly troubled kids they had it all nazi wrong..Restraint and force dont make anyone want to show resect for you who does those things,..counselors more like guards with thee big ass keys swinign all around chiming constantly to let us know we were never leaving.NEVER and i have never been able to put it behind me far enough...

http://www.myspace.com/gaeblergirl
send me a friend request if your a serious person otherwise i can delete you or block you so dont bother me if youre intention is to screw with me becasue i dont ake any shit off of anybody and i will not take it from you whomever you may be rude one..

Why they didnt just kill me is my only question?

hi Gaebler school girl, you are a very smart person, You have every right to feel as angry as you write. Icannot even imagine what your childhood was like. I hope that you can put all those experiences into something positivem like working with emotionally disturbed children, there is so much child abuse out there, the world is just full of kids who believe they aren't worth shit, and really would benefit from someone such as ypurself to help them. you are living proof that God don't make junk! You are a survivor sweety, Congatulations, and God Bless you !

I tried to find Gaebler today. [Administration: Edited as per site policy] A huge disappointment as I was hoping to shoot some video.

[Administration: Directions on how to get to these locations and/or possible ways to enter are not allowed as per site policy. Thank you.]

Between the old Met State down the road, the old Fernauld center (where they fed kids with downs syndrome radioactive milk in the 50s as an experiment on the effects of gamma rays on the human body) across the street, Gaebler, McLean (and even a smaller place which is a MUCH more positive environment called the protestant guild up the street) that part of town used to be a mental health mecca. Even though some of the facilities at the Fernauld are still periodically used, and McLean is still in full swing, there's a lot of abandoned stuff around there I bet... though on google maps lt looks like the abandoned army installation has been turned into athletic fields... probably for bentley.

I believe that they still have what I heard was the Gaebler/Fernauld/Met state escapee alarm system in place... air raid siren lookgin things. One of them may still be on the corner of the fernauld property with wires going across the street towards gaebler.

It all really exposes our ineptness as a society to deal with those who are different than us, and therefore sometimes 'inconvenient' to deal with. gah.

Not sure about this one.
I think it might be a room on B-Ward.
Right before you step onto B-Ward there is a door to the left that has a mid length hallway in it.
Doors line the right side with a door at the very end of the hallway.
This looks like one of the rooms in that location on B-Ward.

The rooms I just described above for B-Ward was where my room was back in 1973 or 1974.
My room was at the end of this hallway on the right hand side.
My second stay was back in 1981 or 1982, then I was a teenager and again, like back in the 70's, Mr. Heathwood was in charge of the place.
When you approach D-Ward there is a door on the left, this is the tv room. Straight ahead is the main door to D-Ward.
When you enter D-Ward there is a door on your left, this door is the office.
A door on to the right, which has 2 seclusion room.
up the hall you have another door on the left, this was where I stayed, in this room and all the way to the back on the left was where my bed was at.

Back in 1981 or 1982 when I was there, on D-Ward, the 2 "counselors" that I remember, other then Mr. heathwood, was a big guy named Jack. Hestood about 6'4' or 6'5' and weigh about 245+ with black curly hair and glasses.
The other was a female who had lost her right arm?
She had a hook.
Back in 1973 or 1974 when I was on B-Ward people from the outside would come in to sing and play music for us in the long hallway.
I don't recall any of the "counselor's names", but there was one guy who was leaving the place and he got permission from Mr. Heathwood to give me a pair of radio walkie-talkies.
If anyone else remembers, love to hear from you.

"The Races"
When I was on B-Ward (1973 or 1974) they used to have races.
We would race from one end of the ward to the other and back again.
I remember during one of these races a kid got his left arm caught on the water fountain.
The water fountain was right at the "elbow" of the hallway on the left hand side.
The kid tore his arm wide open and was taking to the hospital.
Needless to say the races was over and we could not run in the hallway anymore.
Sorry about my ramblings, memories surface and just trying to share them.
I have both good and bad memories from this place.
In 1981 or 1982 when I was on D-Ward there was a beautiful chinese girl who was on E-Ward, who I met going to school in the classrooms down on the first floor.
We was an item for awhile.
She taught me a little chinese.
And there was another girl named Kim (last name withheld) who was my girlfriend on D-Ward, and that got us into trouble!!
One night while the 3rd shift staff was asleep by the doors, me and another friend left our beds and went to the girls rooms at the end of the hallway on D-Ward, and, well, you can guess what took place.
Let me tell you, that got us into big, big trouble!
LOL

Are you done guessing???
Let me tell you that nothing happened. I was scared to death! LOL
So what happened was we started to talk and someone woke up and screamed!
I was already scared to death to begin with and now I thought I was going to die!
All of a sudden we heard keys and running and so I hid long enough to be missed by one of the night counselors and took off to my bed.
Needless to say the following morning we was in big time trouble.
I think back on that now and I just laugh so hard.

If anyone who had been in Gaebler's and would like to share their story with me, I would gladly listen. I would love to hear the good and the bad from this place.

-Jewel64@roadrunner.com-

Hi Jewel.
Not too sure how many would like to relive those nightmares.
I recount some things and others, well, just left unsaid I guess.
When I was there in 1971 or 1972 I was placed there by my father because he didn't know what else to do with me.
Like most children I was hyper-active and parents really didn't understand that.
So as a result of that I became a ward of the state, and those memories are left buried.

I understand that most would not want to relive these memories. I know personally, if I had been there I probably wouldn't want to either.

I think though, the voices of the people who have been there need to be heard. Stories need to be told. People need to know about what happened there. The good and the bad before no one knows ANYTHING and this just becomes nothing. I think even if one person cared about what happened in this place it'd make a difference-somehow.

Wounds like this can not be healed-but talking about such things could be of help.

Going so soon?
We miss you, but you will come back.
They always do, I will make sure of it.

Sometimes a room such as this is all you can do. Sometimes the darkness has crept so far into your small mind that no amount of therapy or medications could ever change that. Whether in this room or in their own minds, some of children, including myself, are prisoners of their own minds for the rest of our lives.

Jewel,
True enough and I have related some stories and a lot of others are unsaid.
As for me, I still hurt, but I have moved on with my life.
That's not to say that the pictures do not revive the memories 'cause they do, it just takes effort, a lot of effort, to suppress those memories which I do not care to relive.
Does that mean I forgot them?
No, I will never forget them, I just choose not to relive them.
All of us kids who were there was hurt, others more so then others.
The kids who lived on Ward E was more abused then those on other Wards because of the staff that worked on Ward E.
Willie was working on Ward D when I was there, so was Jack and Jack was a hard ass who got his kicks out of restraining kids and smashing their faces into the floor after the staff already had the kid under control.
It did make a difference as to what Ward a child was placed on.

I just wonder do any of you who ended up stuck in this place blame your parents/ guardians for what you went through or just the institution?

John, I lived on D ward with fat Jack and the hook, LOL...remember Sharon...cute girl with long curly hair...Jack liked to touch her. Wasn't there a fat black kid (kermit???) there in 81? I also remember anthony S...funny bastard...believe he is incarcirated now. I remember the sneak down to the girls side of D ward. It was durning the summer of 81, and there was punishment for that. I was asked to go, but I was chickenshit and didn't want to. Dated a girl on E ward, Karen D for a week or two, we made out in Dianne's rec center near the payphone in the hallway. I carved her initails into my arm and got into trouble for it...the scars are still visible and I need to cover them with a new tatoo...at least you can't read the initails anymore. I think we may have known one another during my brief stint there. do you remember Rhys?

Hi maman01,
The hook, yeah, her favorite song was "Gloria" by Laura Branigan.
If you remember us going down to the girls end then yes, we know each other.
I can't remember the name of the kid, Danny I think, had bad feet, that could peel the paint off the walls!!!!
Been a long time.
You know me, I was the only red headed kid on Ward D. LOL.
You mentioned Sharon, yeah, she screamed bloody murder that night, that's what alerted the night staff.
I was down there seeing Kim, not her.

yes I remember you now, John. I remember the kim chick as well. What do you do now? hope you are well and successful! I hate that places like that made kids unable to move on because in some ways they are still there and have lost personal pride or feel shame about it...I had a friend who killed himself at 22 because the lack of pride and low self esteem made him sink into a depression that he could never get out off...lost a lot off friends who went through the DSS nightmare of the 80's...that organization kept me till I was 17 then put me into an apartment in my senior year, it is amazing I did not kill myself by accident by party! I wish I could go back and tell those kids in there how little all that meant to the reality of the long term that would be their lives. How that seemingly mighty building would fall into disuse and disrepair and we would go on. And how those little people that seemed so powerful would be revealed as low paid lackies on a power trip for want of better work...that this too would come to pass for all of us and to just smile and bide our time

John. I liked your story about sneaking into the girls area. It made me laugh and I thought it was adorable. Any more fun stories like that? Was there a lot of romance in there? (:

This is the seclusion room I remember... Yes, I was there. I've been thinking alot about this place lately... Just can't erase it from my mind. It's been 20 years since Gaebler... But I am still haunted.

Chris and KeepOnSinging -

When were you there?

To 'Was There' If memory serves me correctly, I was there 1990 until a couple months before it closed in 1992. Thank god my stay was short. I remember the scramble of trying to place everyone in other locations when they were planning on closing the doors. I was sent to a residential treatment facility in Baldwinville from here. I would love to talk to any of you alum that know exactly how I feel about this place.

Anyone remember the "safety coats" ???? LOL

I was there in 72-73 or so. On Ward D. We girls had the room all the way at the end of the hall near the fire stairwell. Our bathroom was just across the hall and the "bath" room was just beside us. I remember lots of things, especially lately. I don't know why but it's been on my mind alot.

Me too "Keep on singing" Let me know if u want to talk.

I never really minded seclusion. Yeah it was smelly, but you got used to that. I kind of liked the aloneness though. Constantly being in the company of others got me feeling very crowded at times. Just sleeping in a room with so many others took getting used to. But in seclusion, it was just me. Not so bad.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

thank you so much john for replying, i bet it must have been pretty interesting in there. i've taken a lot of pictures of it, the place is pretty trashed now. it makes me really sad.

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

any other fun or interesting stories john? i'm down to hear about anything. (:

Mr. Motts,

Are we allowed to use our real names in order to contact others who were there?

Back then ( and even today) children were treated poorly and weren't meet with proper provisions. Unless there parents are rich

love and understanding dont cost anything though....and they go a long way to helping children open up and heal. Shame that seclusion rooms were used instead.....what good it could have done, I really dont know

True.

if only everyone thought like that

To Jhon, Chris, manman01, and keeponsinging

I hope you don't mind but I was reading some of the storys and comments you posted on here and I just want you to know that I know what you went through there was horrible and that you all will be in my prayers.

To all the people who were once in Gaebler

There are rumors that the facility experimented on children. I couldn't find much on that and I'm just wondering if it is true at all? Have any of you been able to go back to visit the place before it is demolished?

was there 2 and john, haven't posted in a while but john i have some other pictures of the building if you'd like to see them and was there 2 i'd love to hear more of your stories about the facility if you don't mind.

Chris I remember safety coats what were they I can't remember? They weren't the restraint beds were they

Hey, I am personally starting a new group in yahoo for former patients to openly discuss their time at Gaebler. Please feel free to come by and visit.


Group name: GCC2010
Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GCC2010
Group email: GCC2010@yahoogroups.com

Allyssa,
Sorry, haven't been online in almost a year.
I think I'll sign up for that yahoo group that someone made, if it's still up.

was there,
I just signed up with the yahoo group.

Insomnie,
the rumors are true.
If you click on my name you should be able to read all my posted comments on here.
I knew they would tear this down, I posted that I had a feeling about that last year.
Waltham doesn't want the memories of that place to taint them any longer, but those memories will remain, for those of us who was there, forever.

If you do click on my name to read my postings, you have to sift through to the ones with the pictures on here.
There are others Johns that have posted about places I have never been.

If I am not mistaken that is how the seclusion rooms on the ward I was on looked like, I was on ward D...friggin god dam scary for any child, and the mentally world is horrible to kids, I mean jail is so much better then this place ever was..thank god it closed down, my boyfriend almost died in there because of physical abuse by a couple staff members,...thank god he was abkle to escape, I would be totally lost without him and until this day he is still in my life, thank god, cause he is the only person who can really understand me...

Looks like this place is comin down pretty soon.

boiler 1220,
Hey Dennis, just out of curiosity, is that Dairy Queen still down the road from Gaebler?
I remember going to that when Gary would come up and take me out for a couple of hours.

John
I'll have to look. Did I know gary black hair? I was on the grounds today. Its a public park owned by the city of waltham. There's a new sign out front. So motts I hope this doesn't get my post taken off for being on the grounds? The sign sais its a preserve park for the use and enjoyment of waltham residents. But john I'm getting a sample of paint off the old water tower cause the city might let me have it for scrap metal. I'll check for the DQ and let u know. I do remember izzys sub shop though. That's gone

Gary Trent was my Social worker, my friend and in most respects, the only father figure I ever knew.
He was a good man who cared.

Dennis, when you leave by the parking lot, take a left on the main road, DQ was only down the road on the left.
Damn, I miss fried clams!!!!!

Jonh
No DQ its gone

Boiler 1220,
I can't believe they are finally going to take down the building, I was just there and I didn't see any signs except no tresspassing, even thou I did it anyways. I swear to god when I went in there the 1st time a couple months ago my husband and I could hear voices of children screaming and banging on the windows, it was very erie... Shame on the world for locking us up and not giving us the chance to have a childhood....I honestly believes what goes around comes around and I pray that the staff members Jack,Harvery,Joanna and Melodee get what they have coming, they were not nice to us children on Ward D at all, they treated us like we were criminals and slaves and the degraded us all the time....I pray for any children that they might of had...

Pookie
If u go there again let me know. I love going with people that were there. I'm not far and I'm the owner of my company so I can leave any time

Yes I think this was on Ward B it was one of the rooms they use to lock us in. I remember being in this room more then once.

Dose anyone know when it is getting torn down?

Dennis,
The next time I go., I will call you and we can meet......

Shawn,
hello, I don't know it's being torn down, I live in Waltham so I am forever checking on it, I will let you know, I will email you on your facebook and you can email at anytime ....

Dennis,
Thanks, I didn't think the DQ was still there, but just wanted to check.

Pookie, sent you a message on facebook.

Gaebler is currently being torn down. I went there the other day to take a look around and take some pictures...a bobcat has gone in and cleared out a most of the space and the boards over the windows have been removed...lots of cement and debris everywhere. If anyone if looking to check the place out before it's completely demolished I would go soon a sit will probably be all gone in a month (to make way for more condos probably).

See my similar very long description down near the bottom of the posts under the first pic in this album. ;) :)

And actually I thought the plan was to likely use the land for recreational/park use. I mean right out front is huge sign that's thanking the Waltham taxpayers for their help in acquiring the something small number of acres of land and "building" for the enjoymant and use of the city's residents. Kinda ironic isn't it that it's "public" land but still effing cops are nonetheless on the lookout for "trespassers" **rolling eyes" ;)

Richard,
I know for a fact, since I am a resident of Waltham most of my life since I was at Gaebler in 82-84 and they just wanted the building down because there were to many kids getting in it and partying and trashing the place and all the asbestos was out in the open and getting into the air and before it gets to the residents that live near the building they are taking it down, It should be down this week if the weahter cooperates, It's all gutted out and scary looking, my husband and I were just there we walked thru the woods to get to it cause the police are patrolling it since you can easily get into the building now even thou there is a fench around, cause honestly, I have been in it a dozen times in the past few months when it was just boarded up and now all the windows have been knocked out and the asbestos taking out and they even knocked out some of the structure where the bottom floor doors are so you can now just walk in, I am going to go up there today if the weather here cooperates, it's been raining and I have been sick the past few days and haven't been able to get out of bed until this am. Yes the cops are everywhere now looking for tresspassers but, there is such a way around it, I know the woods like the back of my hands and that is how you go around it. Request me on facebook Michelle Woods-Godfory I have a lot of pictures from being inside the building and outside on the grounds and took video's as well....I will keep you and everyone updated as much as I can,,,,,,

Ok Pookie I'll try that this afternoon, and yes I saw everything you've seen, at least in it's current state, like I've said I unfortunately never got my ass around to (terrible procrastinator, lol) seeing the inside intact, although a couple years ago during the winter of 09 I think it was I was up there one night for awhile checking out the outside. I so wanted to walk around the inside and I just kept taking for granted that they hadn't started tearing it down yet and hadn't checked here in a couple months and unfortunately missed the early warnings that the wreckers were descending on it. **sigh**
But after checking in here a few weeks ago I quickly made 2 trips up there over the past 2 weeks, both at night, as was my first trip up there, cause I was of course afraid of the coppers. And yeah even though I snuck in through the front if need be I certainly could've made a run for the woods, and I know just from maps those woods don't go to far before you hit civilization again. ;) Actually my last time there it was in the wee dark morning hours and as I was approaching a cop(or private security? I didn't wanna look too close at it, lol) SUV or pickup type vehicle was just coming down the driveway and leaving! :O ;)
But yeah I snuck up there and in the back there's a place where the construction fence(and these fences are pretty flimsy as it is) was already kinda pushed down(bet I can guess why, lol), and yep the place is all opened up and you can just walk in and I went all through the place, as some of the stairs were still intact for the workers no doubt of course. So I checked out the basement, which by the way there actually seems to be a second smaller section of the basement on the back of the center section which is completely separated from the larger section, and it looked like maybe kitchen/food storage(??), as there was an old upright freezer still down there. Also checked out the upper floors, gym was still intact, all the little closets or bathrooms or other nooks and crannies I could find, as well as the roof and even the elevator utility room way up at the tipity top. ;) Interesting how in the basement the amount of large electrical utility equipment that building needed . And then of course there's that Freddy Krueger-like boiler room, lol ;) which for some reason has some flooded standing water in it. I also on my second trip wanted to look more closely at some of the sorta stubbles for lack of a better word left where walls used to be to try and figure out where those seclusion cells were, and I think I found them. I'll ask you about it but it looks like they were along the back wall on the third and second(?) floors, on either side of the center core, and facing out the back yes?? And also it seems like there corridor was just a smaller corridor parallel to the larger central corridors?
Well but ya yr certainly right it's dark and creapy, and with all the debris and construction plastic hanging around and all the breeze you get up on that hill there's always some sudden small noises that might startle you a bit, especially at night. ;) And then I'm also kinda noticing of interesting smells, and all throughout there was this kinda distinctive smell, I guess from the old building materials(?) Also on one of the upper floors i could smell what smelled like really old stale pee, I assume from all the trespassers prob. and not from it's operating days. But yeah it's pretty interesting, and I look forward to hopefully talking to you. :)

Richard, yes, it's very creepy, and yes, the cops are patrolling the place all the time, we almost got caught today but, just ran into the woods on a trail......the smell is from people partying and pissing in it but, also from it being opened and it's been raining and they had to use cleaning solution to get rid of the asbestos.....You crack me up with the Freddy Kruegger boiler room, cause that is exactly what I thought when I first saw it......So much to say butl totally exhausted so I am going to go for now, I have to work in the morning and get my girls off to school, we will chat soon, feel free to email me on facebook or leave me comments on my wall there, cause they will go right to my phone and I have my cell with me at work, I can't talk on my cell at work, but, I can email and go on line on it....have a good night and we will chat soon,,,,,,

Great pictures. It is very interesting for me to see what the rooms look like. My older brother lived at Gaebler for a few years right before it closed. I was about 6 or 7 when he lived there and he has lived in many places since. As far as I remember we were never allowed to go to his room or anything...there must have been a common room where we got to see him. I also remember playing on a swing set that was near by.

JG
That's when I was there. Who was your older brother? If you don't mind me asking! I thing I would know him.

JG,
I agree with you about our parents never being allowed in our rooms, I don't know why that was, when I was there 82-84, they had to visit us downstairs where you actually first come into the building, my parents were never allowed on the ward I was on, I was on D, it was really strange, I think the staff knew that if they let the parents up to see our ward and bedrooms and what kind of living conditions we live in then there would have been a lot more law suits then already going on at the time,...but, now the building is gone, it's been taken down, nothing left but rubble and debris, Tues 11/16/10 it was completely down...

Richard
The fence was flimsy because I would drive over it with pookie to get in without having to climb. But its gone now

Boiler,
you are so my friend I wish I had when I was growing up, we could have taken on the world,,,,,but, it's never to late......

I'm up before dawn these days so I come to this site in the silence to look at photos and read the stories about places, especially Gaebler. It amazes me always how resilient children are, and what great adults they become even after such abuse. Survivors are heroes to our society because you have a lot to offer kids who need to hear that life does move on. I've been through some hell myself & thank you for living through memories. As a screenwriter, sometimes reality is more scary than anything fictional. Love and happiness to all Gaebler survivors, you deserve it. Have a wonderful holiday season :)

My only wish is that i wasn't demolished. When you were there taking these pictures did anything paranormal happen? Did you feel an uneasy presence while being there? I would like to know more about The Geabier Children's Center. Please contact me at jann22896@yahoo.com if you have any information that you find hat might help me in my research. No worries, I am not a reporter or anything of the sort. I am interested in my personal research.

To, GeablerSchoolGirl, John, Becky, maman01, Chris, was there,keeponsinging, was there 2, boiler1220, Pookie,former patient, shawnfrommaine, and J.G.

GeablerSchoolGirl I set you a request on myspace please add me.
J.G. is there anyway I can get in contact with your brother?
AS for the others I would love to talk to you about what happened to you in The Geabier Children's Center.
Please contact me.

jann22896@yahoo.com

http://www.facebook.co...p?id=100001464930368

the lighter spots on the floor kind of look like monster footsteps to me. kind of gives this picture a sad realization-like feeling.... at least to me.

Estepeni Lerran
I sent you a message on face book

Estepani Lerran,
If you want you can request me on facebook and see my pictures and videos of Gaebler, my name is Michelle Woods Godfroy

Gaebler was like a prison....They took your clothes off and gave you a itchy blanket. On a grey mattress that smelled of urine and fecies.When you had to go to the bathroom,the staff ignored you. The window sill was slanted so that a child could not climb upon it. This was not a good place for children. And I still have all the anger for the ways I was treated. Even farm animals get treated better than us.I spent 8 years waking up from nightmartes from the place. I am serouisly thinking about writing a book toi let society know what they have done to us. We were not prisoners. We were just children opf depair. We were all helpless. Every day we all got out medication that made us as human zombies. I was at Gaebler for 2/12 years of hell.. Whoever wants to join me in writing a novel/book about out lives I think would be great. There was two boys there on Ward D David Mc'Donough,and Brian Warring. They treated me like I was their little sister. And if they ever want to connect with me, My number is [edited by admin] I line in Werst Springfield,MA. I'm so glad that place is gone for good. God Bless all of you and please have a happy life, Love, Ann Marie(annmarienarreau10@yahoo.com) Please feel free to contact me if you desire.....

I admire all of you for your strength.

Ann Marie Narreau,
Hello there, my name is Michelle Woods-Godfroy, I was there from 82-84 and on Ward D, what years were you there? The place did suck and yes they did give us thorazine, benadryl and something else to keep us calm, I think it was valium. They did treat us like shit, there were a couple of staff members that I liked, they were Willy and Suzanne, they actually did like us kids,but, the rest of them were really mean and abused their power. I hope they all rott in hell...

Pookie
I second that

Boiler1220,
I just wanted to say thank you for being you, you are truely a great guy,....I can't believe they took the building down, can't wait for all the snow to melt so I can what the place looks like....

That place must of been hell when it was open

Boiler,
My brothers name is Danny. He would have been between 8 and 10...not really sure I don't remember exactly when he was there. I was pretty young myself.

Estepeni,
My brother is currently living in F.I.N.R in FL. He doesn't currently have internet access.

My brother has been in quite a few facilities since Gaebler. He has tourettes.

JG
What. Was his last name. Or sorry. What is his last name? I might know him. If you don't want to put it here, send it to me on facebook "dennis bunting" the one with dirty blond hair, and a black shirt.

Jodi
Without knowing what?

Ann Marie Narreau,
I applaud your courage in telling your story. I was also mistreated there ( I went from 1977-80). The homeroom teachers there were either dim-witted old-timers who didn't know about our true conditions, or abusive tyrants (with a my-way-or-the-highway mentality) who didn't CARE about our true conditions. They were in the wrong, not us (you cannot learn how to be a responsible adult when you're locked away in an isolated room, like I was most of the time). I also have anger from the way they treated us like garbage. I've lashed out on jobs (more frequently than I'd like to admit). That's why I'm unemployed today. I hate society! They expect you to tow their adult line after they couldn't be bothered with you as a kid.
But I WILL own up to one bad mistake that I'm truly sorry for. I apologize to you and the other gaebler girls if some of my bad jokes upset you. If I had only known what kind of hell the gaebler girls REALLY went through, I would not crack my bad sex jokes there. Let's just put it that way.

Ann Marie
You were there before me, but for some reason the Gaebler girls sounds familiar. How are today. I spent alot of time in the building until they took it down a few months ago. Do you still live in the area?

Hello, I had a kid named Danny on my ward, it wad Ward D, what years was your brother there? maybe I can help you understand why he was there if it's the same Danny that I know and that I still know to this day....I am sorry that you had such a horrible experience there, I did too, we all did, it was a horrible place for kids to say the least, as for the girls sex jokes, I never heard any but, I do know that girls were being raped there by the male staff members, it was very easy to do since they had all the hidden rooms and keys and we had to trust them....I hope someday you can overcome your anger and be able to be happy...Do not let that place and it's staff members ruin you, ruin the person that you are and can be, if you do that, then that means the won the war and I know you don't want that. I know it's hard as hell to try and put your life together after being in such a horrible, physically abusive and mentally abusive place but, you can do it, you just have to tell yourself that you are worth it and JG you are worth it, if you ever want to talk look me up on facebook my name is Michelle Woods-Godfroy....



Sorry the above message was for JG, NOT FROM JG, I SCREWED UP THE NAME SLOT, SORRY JG....

I remember Danny from Ward D, he had curly hair and wicked feet. That's about all I remember of him.

johnny from ward e ????????

No Pat
John D From Ward D.

John,
Yes you are right about Danny's feet, he was so scared to go in that locked shower room, I don't blame him, I was scared too...he is much better now, I talk to him all the time......

And that Danny was your boyfriend when you was there?
So many memories....
It is nice that we have a place to share our thoughts and meet people who was there.
All of us have that special bond that only we can relate too.
I remember you and I am thankful that most of us came out of that place better people then those who worked there.

Tell Danny I said Hi.

John, yes Danny was my boyfriend, he was such a cutie with his blond curly hair, but, he was always getting restrained and I felt so bad, he wasn't treated well there at all. I left before he did and I felt bad to leave him behind and things only got worse for him, he almost died at the hands of Harvey, I will tell him you said hi....Yes some of us were really lucky and came out of there and made a better life for ourselves and some of us just couldn't shake the place and have never been the same....makes me sad....I met the bestfriends there, I will never have friends like I had there....we are all connected for life.....

I've been in that seclusion room so many times. It was on ward B/3-east

Boiler1220,
It must be really weird to see pictures of the seclusion room that you were in and to go there as a visitor. I picture the seclusion rooms that I have been in, but never have seen photographs. I am not sure what that experience would be like.

P.
I went in a few seclusion rooms that I was in. I even closed the door in the room that is in this picture. That was last year when I was there with pookie. I was showing a friend of mine how we used to bang on the window. It was very weird being in that room. I can't even explain the feelings I felt. I even spent a night in one of my old rooms. I don't know why I did that and it sounds kinda weird, but that's what I did. I don't know why. It was weird though

it was demolished in 2011

Professor girl
I know! I bid the boiler demo. I was there for a lot of it