A CHRONOLOGY OF THE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY AT BRIDGEWATER ~ MR 361M3 BY KIMBERLY M. URBAN C76 DECEMBER. 1987 1987 ~ I l ! 1852 Chapter 275 appropriates $100,000 for construction of 3 Almshouses for paupers. 1853 Almshouses erected under same plan in Tewksbury, Bridgewater and Monson. 1854 Almshouses officially open on May 1. Levi Goodspeed is first Superintendent at Bridgewater 1886 State workhouse established at the Almshouse. 1870 Supt. Goodspeed resigns, and Capt. Nahum Leonard becomes Superintendent. 1872 Almshouse D"llaJtmcnt is abolished and State Workhouse is established. 1883 Capt. Leonard resigns. On July 5, Hollis Blackstone becomes Superintendent. On July 7, the main huildings are destroyed by fire. 1884 State Workhouse re-opens in December. 1886 Chapter 219 appropriates $50,000 for Chronic Insane Building. 1887 50 insane move-in on September 14, coming from other asylums. Name changes to "Massachusetts State Farm." 1888 Chapter 89 appropriates for strong buildings for the active violent types. 1895 Chapter 390 establishes "Asylum for Insane Criminals at Bridgewater" on June 17. First Medical Director: Dr. Arthur H. Harrington. 1895 Great expansion at the Asylum and in the Prison Department. 1901 Conant Street re-located. 1906 Chapter 500 provides for a woman's prison. 1908 New Almshouse built on Conant Street-- Directors; Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton. 1909 The women's prison opens. Chapter 522 authorizes innovative dormatories and swimming pool. 1912 The dormitory "Beacon Street" completed and in use. Administrative duties divide. "Special State Police" employed. 1919 Chapter 199 on August 27 provides supervision of Bridgewater State Farm transfer from the State Board of Charity to Massachusetts Bureau of Prisons. 1922 Superintendent Blackstone resigns. Assistant Supt. Henry J. Strann becomes new Superintendent. Drug Addiction Unit and Department for Defective Delinquents open in Prison Department in Tower Building and Beacon Street. Late 20'~ Top administrators removed. Dr. Hanson appointed Superintendent. 1930 Female Unit closes. Females move to Framingham. 1932 Robert C. Sherman becomes Acting Superintendent. 1933 Dr. Hanson returns as Superintendent. 1934 James E. Warren becomes Superintendent. 1942 January 1. two Deffective Delinquent inmates try to escape and murder three officers in the unsuccessful attempt. 1943 All State Farm employees become civil servants. The title "Corrections Officer" is established 1955 Chapter 770 changes the State Farm to Massachusetts Correctional Institution Bridgewater. "Sexually Dangerous Person" is defined. "Treatment Center" legally called for at Bridgewater. 1958 Superintendent Warren 1959 February 1, Charles W. Gaughan becomes Superintendent. Treatment Center opens. 1967 "Titicut Follies" Movie is filmed at the State Hospital. Drug Addiction Center opens 1971 Department Segregation Unit opens. 1974 New State Hospital facility opens. 1975 McLean's HosDital contracted to provide Mental Health Services at the State 1976 SECC established August with Louis Berman as Superintendent. Plans for the OCCC begin. 1978 Ronald Amaral assumes Superintendency of SECC. 1979 Penthouse II and Beacon Street Lock-Up open. Goldberg Medical Associatcs contracted to provide Health Services to all facilities. 1983 100 bed medium security Modular Unit and Rear Gate Construction completed SUPERINTENDENTS AT THE BRIDGEWATER COMPLEX MCI Storehouse building completed. 1985 in B-Annex (re-opened) and in abandoned Bakery. Modular Unit converted to minimum security. 225 beds added from Old Treatment Center for 1. Levi Goodspeed (State Almshouse) 1854-1870 16 Years medium security in SECC. Joseph Ponte becomes Superintendent of MCI-Bridge 2. Captian Nahum Leonard 1870-1883 13 years water. (State Almshouse & Workhouse) 1986 New Treatment Center opens. John D. Noonan becomes Superintendent of 3. Hollis Blackstone (State Farm) 1883-1922 39 years MCI-Bridgewater. 4. Henry J. Strann (State Farm) 1922-1933 10 Year 1987 Boyle becomes Superintendent of the State Hospital. Joseph Ponte becomes 5 Hobert C. Sherman (State Farm) 1932-1933 1 Year Superintendent of OCCC, scheduled to open 1987. 6. Dr. Hanson (State Fann) 1933-1934 1 year 7. James E. Warren (State Farm & MCIB) 1934-1958 24 years 8. Charlcs W. Gaughan (MCIB) 1959-1985 26 ycars 9. Louis Berman (SECC) 1976-1978 2 years 10. Honald W. Amaral (SECC) 1978­ 11. Joseph Ponte (MCIB) 198.5-1986 1 year 12. John D. Noonan (MCIR) 1986­ 13. Joseph Ponte (OCCC) 1987­ 14. Jerry Boyle (SH) 1987­ " I n May 1852, Governor Boutwell was authorized by the legislature to appoint a 1883, Capt. L.eonard tendered his resignation, apparently because of investigations board of commissiollers to construct three alms~louses for the accomodation of being conducted against him. persolls who had no legal settlement in the state of Massachusetts Chapter 275 of On July 15,1883, Mr. Hollis Blackstone became Superintendent at the State tllO Acts oj 1852 appropriated $1 00.000 to construct the almshouses. Searching for Workhouse. While taking a walk two days later, at 920 a.m., Superintendent an appropriate location Southeastern Massachusetts, the Deacon Asahael Shaw Blackstone sighted smoke comming from a ventilator on the East Wing which turned farm In South Bridgewater was decided upon as the best place out to be the fire, which, by two o'clock that afternoon, left the Workhouse nothing but In 1853. the almshouses were all erected under the same plan, under the a pile of ashes. administraliorl of Governor Clifford, and were open for occupancy on May 1,1854, l Fortunately, Mr. Blackstone, the employees and the inmates, removed all by proclamation of Governor Washburn, with the following officials in charge at Impoltant records while extinguishing the blaze. While no lives were lost, the total Bridgewater Drs. Abraham T. Lowe and Bradford L Wales. and Mr. Nahum Stetson, loss in dollal's, however, came to about $125,000. The barns, sheds, and other inspectols Capt. Levi L. Goodspeed. Superintendent and Mrs Goodspeed, Matron. out-buildings had been saved and Gilman and Whalen, the two Workhouse The Institution Itself was a huge barnlike structure made of wood with four storied in prisoners who set Hie fire, were sent to Pymouth Jailuntil sentenced to twenty years the center section. the foul'th with three stones wings running off each side. each at Charlestown State Prison. All other inmates, except a few left to clean-up, The first occupants were able bodied volunteers, for the most part, of all ages were sent to Westborough f~eform School until December 1884, when the new and types never growing to the pOint where it presented a problem in control and buildings were completed. administration, Construction of the new Workhouse began almnst immediately, only because Under Superintendent Goodspeed, the Almshouse soon began reclaiming the the legislature was in session late that summer and was able to approve the land, adding farm buildings bUI'ding up its livestock herd, and seeing to the needs 0 reconstruction of the Workhouse. which began in1883 and was finished by the end its people. of 1884. Old foundations were used, but the buildlngsowere seperated into ten units, May 1, 1854 through December 1854 while brick was used for fire safety reasons. 860 Paupers--517 males--343 females Upon tile return of the Workhouse inmates, the population at the Workhouse for 239 discharged October 1,1884, through September 30,1885 was recorded 55 deserted 63 died Total Supported (all types)---1,121 Total adm itted---1 ,026 9 born at the instilUtion Total discharged---817 Total remaining---304 Decernebr 1, 1854503 paupers (from the First Annual Report oj the Inspector of the State Almshouse, (Land 230 3/4 acres--175 acres cultivated; 25 fJridgewater) acres wooded; THE STATE WORKHOUSE 26 1/2 acres pasturage and cemetary; 4 1/2 In 1866. an Act was passed establishing a State Workhouse at the State Pauper acres water-works Establishment at Bridgewater to which so-called "viCIOUS paupers' could be 41 total employees Total payroll--$9,444.20). sontenced. THE STATE FARM Capt. Goodspeed resigned In 1870 and Captain Nahum Leonard of Bridge­ In 1886, the sum of $50,000 was appropriated to provide a building for the water was appointed Superintendent. chronic insane at the State Workhouse in Bridgewater, under chapter 219 of the By 1872. the Almshouse Department was abolished, and most of the paupers Acts of 1886. The building would accomodate one hundred and forty patients. The ~ then remaining were transfered to the State Almshouse in Tewksbury. From that Bridgewater State Hospital, as the department was called, was designed as a time until the present the institution at Bridgewater has been essentially a penal maximum security institution because the population consisted of insane criminals institution, not totally lacking Its original pauper element. since paupers have been types who were committed directly, or transferred from penal institutions and state cared for undel' one category or another right up until the present. hospitals Superintendent Leonard continued the fine work of Goodspeed as the nature of As the building was under construction, fifty chronic insane patients were the population at the institution was undergoing the marked change cited above. moved from other lunacy asylums into the institution on September 14, 1987. The Leonard increased the farm acreage, while several shops were added to the only construction problems which arose were when troublesome laborers had to be institutial efforts of the institution. After serving as Superintendent for twelve years, in replaced by non-drinkers. 2 Out being name be lor the construction of propel' and with the and the nood lor accommodation yem it 01 1901. The Attendant's ums to unload theil authorized an addl!lonal house more mild. chronic 1 was made with Chapter 500. for a 'J'I Within the first Hlat more space was for the um, with theT' andJ' units Chapter of the I\cts of 1888. construction of Not untill1950 were made in the for the to Hie reasons, the recreation area of the ''I' and "J" sick closed observatioll clear from any in the n the mean time, in the Prison Uepartment was the institution continued.