Faribault State School for the Feeble-minded
In 1879, the Minnesota Institute for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind opened an experimental department for feeble-minded children. In July of that year, fifteen children were transferred from the Rochester and St. Peter state hospitals. In 1887, the name was changed to the Minnesota Institute for Defectives. The name School for the Feeble-Minded was adopted in 1895, and changed to the School for Feeble-Minded and Colony for Epileptics in 1906. It became the Faribault State School and Hospital in 1955.
When the school opened it performed the functions of a school, a home, and a hospital. The three departments were the School and Training Department, Custodial or Home Department, and Epileptic Hospital. In its later years, its functions included reducing the dependencies of mentally disabled individuals; providing care, treatment, and training for the purpose of returning persons to as normal a life as possible; assisting families in coping with mental disability; fostering public understanding and involvement; promoting development and use of community services; and conducting research into causes, prevention, and treatment of mental disability. The patient population consisted of persons of all ages representing all types and degrees of mental disability, many of whom are also physically infirm. The institution closed on July 1, 1998.
Some patient records for the Faribault State School and Hospital can be viewed in person at the library, however any which fall under restrictions will need to be reviewed by library staff prior to access. Please visit our State Hospital Records Research Request page for more information on ordering state hospital records through our distance research service.
Minnesota Schools for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind
Now known as the Minnesota State Academy for the Blind (MSAB) and the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf (MSAD), the schools were established through the urging of George E. Skinner, Faribault's representative at the first state legislature. The Minnesota School for the Deaf and Dumb was opened in a rented building in Faribault in 1863, with 8 students, before moving to a more permanent home several years later on 40 acres of land provided by the citizens of Faribault.
Blind students were also accepted into the school until a separate facility was opened in 1866 (with separate buildings opening in 1874). Historically, students were between 5 and 22 years old, though exceptions were made, and boarded there except for a summer break with their families. No tuition was charged to students, though the families were expected to provide suitable clothing and transportation to and from the school. Classes included core academics, languages, and learning various trades. Complete class lists may be found in the Biannual Reports for each respective school.
For access to specific patient records at Faribault State School & Hospital, see the State Hospitals: Historic Patient Records Research Guide. Patient records will be in the first box. For individual student records from the Minnesota School for the Deaf (about 1916-2003) or the Faribault School for the Blind (about 1866-1990s), please contact the library at reference@mnhs.org.
Biennial Reports
Biennial report of the Superintendent of the Minnesota School for the Blind, 1912-1940. MNHS call number: HV1796.M62 M5613
Some, but not all, years include lists of faculty and students, as well as lists of classes. Reports for 1887-1897 are bound with the Biennial Report of the Minnesota Institute for Defectives.
Biennial report. Minnesota School for the Deaf, 1863-1976.
Some, but not all, years include lists of faculty and students, as well as lists of classes. Reports for 1887-1897 are bound with the Biennial Report of the Minnesota Institute for Defectives. MNHS call number: HV2561 .M661 and Digital Finding Aid.
Biennial report of the Minnesota Institute for Defectives, 1887-1897. MNHS call number: HV2561 .M66
Report of the Superintendent of the Minnesota School for Feeble-Minded and Colony for Epileptics, 1880-1938. MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid and HV3006.M6 F191
Newsletters and other Publications
Mute's Companion and The Companion, 1877-2018. Newsletter printed for and about the students at the Minnesota Academy for the Deaf. MNHS call number: FOLIO HV2561 .M667 (v.3-13:3) and HV2561 .M667 (v.13:4-)
General information about the Minnesota School for the Deaf, a free boarding school for all children of Minnesota who have defective hearing, located at Faribault, 1931. MNHS call number: HV2561.M68 A5 1931
Publications, 1950-1997. Faribault State School & Hospital.
Runs of five publications produced at the institution. The Coverall (1950-1971) was a monthly newsletter published by the institution’s recreation department; The Round Table (1972-1997) was a newsletter containing information about activities at the institution; No Name News (1968-1970) was a staff newsletter; The Voice of the Men/The Voice of the Women and the Men (1969-1973) was a mimeographed magazine produced by the adult education class; and WOW (1986-1993) was a fitness newsletter for employees.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Published Records and Reports, 1884-1992. Faribault School for the Blind. Print and near-print items of or about the Faribault School for the Blind. The records cover various aspects of the activities at the school, including reading materials, concerts and exercises, instructor conventions, student government, song books, and newsletters. There is also a 1966 history.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
Published Records and Reports, 1867-2006. Faribault School for the Deaf. The records cover all aspects of the school’s programs, activities, and history, including its newsletter, The Companion (1877-2006); calendar/yearbook (1939-1980); histories (1885, 1895, 1956); general information circulars and brochures (1903-1980s); Christmas, commencement, and banquet programs; and various publications covering such topics as the library, reading lessons, shoemaking, the slate system, sloyd (a system of manual training that emphasizes wood carving), lessons in good manners and morals and military discipline, and curriculum.
MNHS call number: Digital Finding Aid
A study of the institutional needs for the mentally retarded in the State of Minnesota. [John L. Holahan], 1952. MNHS call number: HV3006.M6 H65
A Major Minnesota Problem. Minnesota Association for Retarded Children, 1964. MNHS call number: RC445.M62 M35
Beyond the Library
State Institutional Documents for Faribault State School & Hospital, With an Eye to the Past. Minnesota Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities. Archive of digitized documents about the school and its administration, including copies of the biennial reports, strategic planning, and task force reports.
