TEWKSBURY – When Annie Sullivan, the girl who would become teacher and mentor to Helen Keller, lived at Tewksbury Almshouse it was a very different facility than the presently named Tewksbury State Hospital is today.
According to the Public Health Museum website (http://www.publichealthmuseum.org/), “The hospital was established in 1852 as one of three state almshouses needed to help care for the unprecedented influx of immigrants into Massachusetts at that time. The almshouses were the Commonwealth's first venture into caring for the poor, a duty which had previously been carried out by the cities and towns.”
Built to accept 500 residents, within the first week the facility housed more than 600 and neared 800 just 3 weeks after opening. Living conditions were difficult in this overcrowded situation where according to records they had only 14 employees and spent approximately 94.5 cents per resident each week.
In 1866 they became the State’s first facility to accept chronically insane patients when they opened their doors to the “pauper insane.” According to the history on the Public Health Museum website, “By 1874 the facility had become diversified: 40% was used as a mental illness ward, 27% as a hospital ward, and 33% as an almshouse. The chronically ill population continued to grow, alcoholics were admitted for treatment, and programs providing therapeutic industrial and occupational therapy were added in the 1870's. A Home Training School for Nurses was established in 1894, and the school became a full-fledged three-year program in 1898.”
Meanwhile, Johanna Mansfield Sullivan (better known as Annie) was born on April 14, 1866 to Irish Immigrant parents. According to information from the American Federation for the Blind (AFB), she went nearly blind from untreated trachoma when she was seven years old and her mother passed away a year later leaving her to take care of a home and her alcoholic father.
When her father abandoned the family just two years later, her baby sister was sent to relatives, but Annie and her younger brother, Jimmie, were sent to the Tewksbury Almshouse. The Public Health Museum located at the Tewksbury State Hospital has the original admittance certificate from when Annie and Jimmie arrived on February 22, 1876. It states that Annie had “sore eyes” and Jimmie a “hip complaint.”
At that time men and women were in separate living quarters at the hospital, but many sources indicate that Annie put up such a fuss over being separated from her ill brother that he was permitted to stay with her in a women’s area. She stayed with him until he passed away just three months later.
Annie Sullivan stayed in the Tewksbury Almshouse for four years until in 1880 when she apparently threw herself at the inspectors that had arrived from the State Board of Charities in response to reports of deplorable living conditions in the Almshouse. Annie Sullivan begged them to let her go to school and she was later sent to the Perkins School for the Blind. After several somewhat successful eye surgeries and graduating with honors from Perkins, she accepted a position teaching Helen Keller in Tuscumbia, Alabama.
Nella Braddy Henney, in her biography entitled Anne Sullivan Macy, quoted Annie Sullivan about her time in Tewksbury Almshouse, “Very much of what I remember about Tewksbury is indecent, cruel, melancholy, gruesome in the light of grown-up experience; but nothing corresponding with my present understanding of these ideas entered my child mind. Everything interested me. I was not shocked, pained, grieved or troubled by what happened. Such things happened. People behaved like that—that was all that there was to it. It was all the life I knew. Things impressed themselves upon me because I had a receptive mind. Curiosity kept me alert and keen to know everything.”
Meanwhile, the Tewksbury Almshouse became Tewksbury State Hospital in 1900, the Massachusetts State Infirmary in 1909, and Tewksbury State Hospital and Infirmary in 1938, as the needs of the State changed over the years. Facilities were also added for treating contagious diseases such as tuberculosis, and small pox.
The Public Health Museum website says, “Now known as Tewksbury Hospital, throughout the 20th century it has played a major role in the care of patients with infectious and chronic diseases. It is probably the pre-eminent historic example in Massachusetts of a public health institution operated by the Commonwealth.”
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website, Tewksbury State Hospital’s mission is “to provide comprehensive treatment, care and comfort to adults with chronic medical and mental illnesses.” It currently has a capacity of 540 patients. Tewksbury State Hospital also continues to offer substance abuse programs, a Huntington’s disease program, and a rehabilitation center for the Department of Mental Health. A building on the campus has been named in honor of Annie Sullivan.
Copyright 2008 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Friday, November 2, 2007
Goodbye Halloween - Hello Christmas?
Wednesday night was a wonderful, gluttonous candy grabbing bonanza that capped off more than a week of Halloween parties, birthday parties with Halloween themes, and even one baby shower that was a sugar coma inducing heaven for two adorable kids I know.
Thursday was…Christmas time?
Last night I arrived 20 minutes early for a meeting that was taking place at the South Fire Station. For a reporter, that was perfect. I could chat with some of the key players on their way into the meeting and pave the way to get their reactions after. But then it was getting awfully close to meeting time and I was still the only one standing in an otherwise empty room.
After a quick call to some people that might be able to help me find actual meeting location, I hopped into the car and headed toward the center of town. Surely any meeting that was happening would be somewhere in the center of town. Another reporter, actually, the one who unintentionally sent me in the wrong direction to begin with, called to tell me that she’d found the meeting. I was headed for the police station.
That’s when IT happened. I nearly dropped the phone. Could I really be seeing a full display of CHRISTMAS LIGHTS at the local nursery? Surely they are just taking advantage of the good weather to set up their displays, but no, there was no one else around.
I remember when it was a big deal that Santa arrived for a visit at malls on the day after Thanksgiving and that kicked off the holiday season. Sometimes he arrived by sleigh, car, helicopter, and where I grew up he even arrived in an antique truck! Nothing was lit until that magical day when Santa arrived.
Now, the ‘powers that be’ have decided that people will spend less money this year on the holiday shopping, so they are going to get people to spend earlier and longer and ugh, again it is all become about commercialism. Don’t even get me going on that topic, as it certainly isn’t a new one.
But on the day when my kids are rushing home to have a real dive into their candy bags (because the night before it was a limited dive before bed)…. let them have their joy in Halloween before rushing on to Christmas and visions of Sugar Plums – no, it’s probably visions of presents - running through their heads.
And then let us all savor Thanksgiving, which has long been one of my favorite holidays because it is so – un-commercial- and all about family, friends and sharing a meal or a day together. Thanksgiving was always the calm before the storm, but this year it might be a port in the middle of the storm instead.
Then, on the day after Thanksgiving, bring on the holiday music and light those trees and lawn decorations and enjoy a month of lights and music and food and friends and families and shopping and last minute errands, holiday cards, and catching up with old acquaintances. After Thanksgiving, bring it on!
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved.
Thursday was…Christmas time?
Last night I arrived 20 minutes early for a meeting that was taking place at the South Fire Station. For a reporter, that was perfect. I could chat with some of the key players on their way into the meeting and pave the way to get their reactions after. But then it was getting awfully close to meeting time and I was still the only one standing in an otherwise empty room.
After a quick call to some people that might be able to help me find actual meeting location, I hopped into the car and headed toward the center of town. Surely any meeting that was happening would be somewhere in the center of town. Another reporter, actually, the one who unintentionally sent me in the wrong direction to begin with, called to tell me that she’d found the meeting. I was headed for the police station.
That’s when IT happened. I nearly dropped the phone. Could I really be seeing a full display of CHRISTMAS LIGHTS at the local nursery? Surely they are just taking advantage of the good weather to set up their displays, but no, there was no one else around.
I remember when it was a big deal that Santa arrived for a visit at malls on the day after Thanksgiving and that kicked off the holiday season. Sometimes he arrived by sleigh, car, helicopter, and where I grew up he even arrived in an antique truck! Nothing was lit until that magical day when Santa arrived.
Now, the ‘powers that be’ have decided that people will spend less money this year on the holiday shopping, so they are going to get people to spend earlier and longer and ugh, again it is all become about commercialism. Don’t even get me going on that topic, as it certainly isn’t a new one.
But on the day when my kids are rushing home to have a real dive into their candy bags (because the night before it was a limited dive before bed)…. let them have their joy in Halloween before rushing on to Christmas and visions of Sugar Plums – no, it’s probably visions of presents - running through their heads.
And then let us all savor Thanksgiving, which has long been one of my favorite holidays because it is so – un-commercial- and all about family, friends and sharing a meal or a day together. Thanksgiving was always the calm before the storm, but this year it might be a port in the middle of the storm instead.
Then, on the day after Thanksgiving, bring on the holiday music and light those trees and lawn decorations and enjoy a month of lights and music and food and friends and families and shopping and last minute errands, holiday cards, and catching up with old acquaintances. After Thanksgiving, bring it on!
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Zen and Dove Chocolate, Part 1
“Make Someday Today.”
All my life I’ve looked for reasons to justify eating chocolate. Finally, I’ve found one. Eating Dove® Chocolates will be great – not only for the happiness that dark chocolate induces in me – but also for my first attempt at blog writing in a series.
Every time I eat a Dove® chocolate I’ve noticed they are like fortune cookies with little life-altering messages on the inside of the wrapper. For example, today’s divine chocolate message told me to “Make someday today.”
Now I don’t reach for chocolate very often, but when I do, these squares always seem to have some kind of inspirational message inside the wrapper that usually hits home with regard to whatever is going on with my life.
Are there things that you have been putting off until ‘someday’? More often than not, ‘someday’ will never happen unless you start taking the actions today that will put the wheels in motion to achieve your goal.
In my most recent example, I knew only two things about creating a blog. First, I knew that I would need to do a lot of writing, and second, I knew that fear of learning to set one up held me back for a long time. Finally, I decided the other day that I needed to just DO IT, and so I did.
Being realistic about goals and dreams, obviously I’m not going to jet off to Australia tomorrow as I would like to, but I can take small steps now that start me on a path to getting there when we’re ready. The key is steady progress toward a goal. Australia is a huge goal because it is an expensive and time consuming kind of trip if I go the way I’d like to…but if I start saving now with that goal in mind…I will get there.
Find what dreams, career changes, new hobbies or experiences you’ve been putting off and decide that today is the day to make a change. “Make someday today.” Just do it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch here for my adventures into the personal growth topics I may find inside of my chocolate wrappers. Man, I love eating chocolate in the name of writing blog entries!
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved
All my life I’ve looked for reasons to justify eating chocolate. Finally, I’ve found one. Eating Dove® Chocolates will be great – not only for the happiness that dark chocolate induces in me – but also for my first attempt at blog writing in a series.
Every time I eat a Dove® chocolate I’ve noticed they are like fortune cookies with little life-altering messages on the inside of the wrapper. For example, today’s divine chocolate message told me to “Make someday today.”
Now I don’t reach for chocolate very often, but when I do, these squares always seem to have some kind of inspirational message inside the wrapper that usually hits home with regard to whatever is going on with my life.
Are there things that you have been putting off until ‘someday’? More often than not, ‘someday’ will never happen unless you start taking the actions today that will put the wheels in motion to achieve your goal.
In my most recent example, I knew only two things about creating a blog. First, I knew that I would need to do a lot of writing, and second, I knew that fear of learning to set one up held me back for a long time. Finally, I decided the other day that I needed to just DO IT, and so I did.
Being realistic about goals and dreams, obviously I’m not going to jet off to Australia tomorrow as I would like to, but I can take small steps now that start me on a path to getting there when we’re ready. The key is steady progress toward a goal. Australia is a huge goal because it is an expensive and time consuming kind of trip if I go the way I’d like to…but if I start saving now with that goal in mind…I will get there.
Find what dreams, career changes, new hobbies or experiences you’ve been putting off and decide that today is the day to make a change. “Make someday today.” Just do it.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Watch here for my adventures into the personal growth topics I may find inside of my chocolate wrappers. Man, I love eating chocolate in the name of writing blog entries!
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Nurturing New Habits
I remember reading somewhere that it it takes 21 days of repetition for something to become a habit. For example, if I want to remember to make my bed every morning, then I need to focus on it for the first 21 days and by then it should become a habit that I don't even really have to think about anymore. The same could be applied to writing here. I now see how easy it is to put it off...it had been so long since my last post that I had to completely start over again, and I was aiming to write at least every couple of days. It is so easy to say "oh, I'm tired, busy, etc...I'll do it tomorrow. " But then the next day comes and we say the same thing again and soon the habit is more about NOT writing than it is writing.
So I have a new goal. I will write every day for 15 minutes. Make no mistake though, that does not mean that I will post everyday! I do have to let go of some perfectionist ideas (or things will never get posted) but I also realize that I don't have to rush to put out an entry that is not yet what I'd hoped it would be. Some days might be spent in research or making lists of ideas to write about in the future. Several times each week I do plan to post my thoughts, however long winded or very brief they may be.
In theory, if I give myself one month, by November 25th my daily writing will have become a habit, but if I miss a day, I'll jump back in where I am. No guilt, regrets or punishments...just keep moving along until my habit sets in.
Anyone care to join me in creating a new habit in the month of November?
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved.
So I have a new goal. I will write every day for 15 minutes. Make no mistake though, that does not mean that I will post everyday! I do have to let go of some perfectionist ideas (or things will never get posted) but I also realize that I don't have to rush to put out an entry that is not yet what I'd hoped it would be. Some days might be spent in research or making lists of ideas to write about in the future. Several times each week I do plan to post my thoughts, however long winded or very brief they may be.
In theory, if I give myself one month, by November 25th my daily writing will have become a habit, but if I miss a day, I'll jump back in where I am. No guilt, regrets or punishments...just keep moving along until my habit sets in.
Anyone care to join me in creating a new habit in the month of November?
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All Rights Reserved.
Halloween For Hunger
WILMINGTON - Few of us can say that we have spent half of our lives working on an annual food drive to support a local food pantry that assists families that might otherwise not have enough to eat. However, little Joshua White, who will soon turn four years old, is the exception to that statement. He enjoys collecting food for the Wilmington Food Pantry, and this is his second annual Halloween for Hunger food drive.
“I like to help hungry people,” said Joshua. Is it fun? “Yeah,” he replied happily.
Joshua and his mother, Amy White, are working on a variation of an annual campaign that was started by Joshua’s uncle, Dr. Jonathan White, a Doctor of Sociology and a professor at Bridgewater State when his community service oriented travels aren’t taking him around the world.
The Halloween for Hunger campaign addresses poverty on a local level by having children trick or treating for non-perishable food items on Halloween night. Joshua and his mom do a modified version of this and have put donation boxes at Joshua’s pre-school, The Wonder Years Learning Center, and also at Quick Chiropractic and Silver Cloud. After Halloween they will collect the goods and Joshua will deliver them to the Wilmington Food Pantry.
Karen Wurst, Director of The Wonder Years Learning Center explained that the school is a great place to implement things of this nature because “we’re very community-minded here and these two organizations (Free The Children and Halloween for Hunger) embody everything that we believe in here.
Dr. Leslie Quick, of Quick Chiropractic and Assoc. in Wilmington, encourages residents to come by and leave non-perishable goods in the box outside of her office. “The cans in there are going for a great local charity (Wilmington Food Pantry) that is near and dear to our hearts,” said Dr. Quick.
The third drop off location is the Silver Cloud on Main Street near Market Basket. Owner George Moutsoulis is hopeful that if people see that others are putting food in the box that is outside of his store they may decide to contribute too. We’re “trying to fill this box up,” he said.
Halloween for Hunger is an annual campaign whose goal is to help alleviate hunger while raising awareness of global poverty. Adopted by the Free The Children organization in October of 2000, the campaign pushes people to think globally but act locally.
Amy White stated, “It has to start in our community to make a global difference. It has to start now.” She continues, “There are so many people who fear that there is so much that needs to be done out there that they are paralyzed by it and do nothing.”
White, who was a Special Education teacher for 14 years before leaving to be at home with Joshua, firmly believes that each individual can make a difference. She reminds us of the old story about the child who was throwing starfish back into the ocean after finding hundreds of them washed up on the beach following a storm. An adult came along and questioned, “Why bother? There are so many and you’ll never save them all. It won’t make a difference.” But the child felt quite differently and replied… “It made a difference to that one” and threw another one back into the ocean.
White hopes that the kinds of lessons that Joshua is learning now about making a difference in the world will carry him through his lifetime. She hopes that he will follow in his uncle’s footsteps in the battle to make the world better place by eliminating hunger and poverty and the educating children of the world.
Poverty exists all around us. Halloween for Hunger and Free The Children believe that poverty and hunger are universal challenges that need to be met head-on by youth, community groups and governments alike.Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education. Through their unique youth-driven approach, more than one million children have been involved in helping others through programs in more than 45 countries.
Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free the Children has established a track record of success with 3 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.
From their website, http://www.freethechildren.org/, “The primary goal of the organization is to not only free children from poverty and exploitation, but also to free young people from the notion that they are powerless to affect positive change in the world and to improve the lives of their peers. More information about Halloween for Hunger can also be found on the Free The Children website.
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All rights reserved.
“I like to help hungry people,” said Joshua. Is it fun? “Yeah,” he replied happily.
Joshua and his mother, Amy White, are working on a variation of an annual campaign that was started by Joshua’s uncle, Dr. Jonathan White, a Doctor of Sociology and a professor at Bridgewater State when his community service oriented travels aren’t taking him around the world.
The Halloween for Hunger campaign addresses poverty on a local level by having children trick or treating for non-perishable food items on Halloween night. Joshua and his mom do a modified version of this and have put donation boxes at Joshua’s pre-school, The Wonder Years Learning Center, and also at Quick Chiropractic and Silver Cloud. After Halloween they will collect the goods and Joshua will deliver them to the Wilmington Food Pantry.
Karen Wurst, Director of The Wonder Years Learning Center explained that the school is a great place to implement things of this nature because “we’re very community-minded here and these two organizations (Free The Children and Halloween for Hunger) embody everything that we believe in here.
Dr. Leslie Quick, of Quick Chiropractic and Assoc. in Wilmington, encourages residents to come by and leave non-perishable goods in the box outside of her office. “The cans in there are going for a great local charity (Wilmington Food Pantry) that is near and dear to our hearts,” said Dr. Quick.
The third drop off location is the Silver Cloud on Main Street near Market Basket. Owner George Moutsoulis is hopeful that if people see that others are putting food in the box that is outside of his store they may decide to contribute too. We’re “trying to fill this box up,” he said.
Halloween for Hunger is an annual campaign whose goal is to help alleviate hunger while raising awareness of global poverty. Adopted by the Free The Children organization in October of 2000, the campaign pushes people to think globally but act locally.
Amy White stated, “It has to start in our community to make a global difference. It has to start now.” She continues, “There are so many people who fear that there is so much that needs to be done out there that they are paralyzed by it and do nothing.”
White, who was a Special Education teacher for 14 years before leaving to be at home with Joshua, firmly believes that each individual can make a difference. She reminds us of the old story about the child who was throwing starfish back into the ocean after finding hundreds of them washed up on the beach following a storm. An adult came along and questioned, “Why bother? There are so many and you’ll never save them all. It won’t make a difference.” But the child felt quite differently and replied… “It made a difference to that one” and threw another one back into the ocean.
White hopes that the kinds of lessons that Joshua is learning now about making a difference in the world will carry him through his lifetime. She hopes that he will follow in his uncle’s footsteps in the battle to make the world better place by eliminating hunger and poverty and the educating children of the world.
Poverty exists all around us. Halloween for Hunger and Free The Children believe that poverty and hunger are universal challenges that need to be met head-on by youth, community groups and governments alike.Free The Children is the world’s largest network of children helping children through education. Through their unique youth-driven approach, more than one million children have been involved in helping others through programs in more than 45 countries.
Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free the Children has established a track record of success with 3 nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.
From their website, http://www.freethechildren.org/, “The primary goal of the organization is to not only free children from poverty and exploitation, but also to free young people from the notion that they are powerless to affect positive change in the world and to improve the lives of their peers. More information about Halloween for Hunger can also be found on the Free The Children website.
Copyright 2007 CBLEGVOLD. All rights reserved.
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