The Secrets of Wrentham State School at Museum June 11

Above, State Senator Beryl Cohen inspects school in the 1970s

One town from Franklin is the sprawling complex long known as the Wrentham State School.

Built in the early years of the last century, with the best of intentions, the facility brought care and help to many individuals suffering from a wide range of maladies, mostly categorizable as mental illness. But, over the years, experts sometimes got things very wrong. Or, particularly after World War II, shrinking budgets turned care into a travesty and then simply abuse. Some from Franklin were doubtless residents. Many more found employment there, linking its story to that of our town. Indeed, the 2014 book, “From One Century to the Next: A History of

Wrentham State School and the Institutional Model,” which tells the whole story – the good and the bad – was written by longtime Franklin resident, Ingrid Grenon, who spent some 33 years affiliated with the facility.

On Sunday, June 11, Grenon will present a talk, sharing her rare collection of images and unmatched knowledge of this important institution as part of the Franklin Historical Museum’s Second Sunday Speaker Series. Doors open at 1 pm and the program begins at approximately 1:15. As always, events at the museum are free.

Above, residents of Wrentham State School manufacturing clothing, circa 1927