The Good and the Sometimes Very Bad History of Wrentham State School

Massachusetts was a pioneer in improving care for those with intellectual challenges and mental illness, and in the early part of the 20th century, the Wrentham State School was a showcase for some of the latest thinking and most up-to-date care.

But those promising beginnings were derailed by the widespread support for eugenics in the 1920s and 1930s and, after World War II, shrinking budgets.

As a result, a showcase became a backwater.

Ingrid Grenon, author of the 2014 book, “From One Century to the Next: A History of Wrentham State School and the Institutional Model, will be delivering a talk and slide show about the School, based on extensive research and her own years working at the facility.

The talk is on Sunday, June 11,  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.

The Museum is located at 80 West Central Street.