Wednesday, May 16, 2018.  7pm. 

Documentary & Discussion:  Lost in Laconia (2010)

During a time when people who were branded and stigmatized as “feebleminded” and a danger to society were banished to a life of isolation and total segregation, thousands of children and adults were institutionalized in large state operated institutions throughout the country. In the case of New Hampshire, that place was the Laconia State School. This documentary traces the history of the institution from its initial beginnings as the New Hampshire School for the Feebleminded in the early 1900’s until its closure in 1991. Using archival footage and current interviews with former residents of the institution, families of former residents, and people who worked at the institution, along with an extensive collection of photos, newspaper articles, and state documents, this documentary examines the social values and cultural ideals of the twentieth century, relative to individuals and families who were labeled “feebleminded,” deficient, or disabled in New Hampshire.  Join the Historical Society of Cheshire County on Wednesday, May 16^th at 7pm for the film and a discussion with one of the film’s writers and former employee of the Laconia State School, Gordon Dubois, as well as Keene State College professor Graham Warder who was interviewed in the film and Staff from Monadnock Developmental Services.