Sleighton Farm School
| Sleighton Farm School | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1826 |
| Construction Began | 1909 |
| Opened | 1911 |
| Closed | 2001 |
| Current Status | Closed |
| Building Style | Cottage Plan |
| Architect(s) | Cope and Stewardson |
| Location | Glen Mills, PA |
| Architecture Style | Colonial and Greek Revival |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
The Sleighton Farm School began in 1826 as the House of Refuge in Philadelphia and was established by the Quakers and the Pennsylvania Prison Society to avoid placing children and young offenders in prison. Its goal was to re-educate at-risk youth and rehabilitate rather than punish. However admirable the school’s objectives were, abuse and punishment were a daily part of life.
Children began their days at 5 am, then spent five to six hours performing hard labor followed by three to four hours of schooling. A brief period of play was granted after dinner. In 1876, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives investigated reports of abuse at the House of Refuge. They found that punishment included banning of recreation time, withholding meals, solitary confinement, and lashings. Despite the long working hours of the children, they received zero pay while the institution raked in thousands of dollars in profits per year. In the end, the House of Refuge was found not guilty of abuse.
In an effort to save face, the House of Refuge adopted a new curriculum, one that focused on a more family-like community for its students and would offer the benefits of therapy through farming and a pastoral setting.
In 1892, the House of Refuge moved to Thornbury Township and reopened as the Glen Mills School in 1911. In 1906, the House of Refuge bought another tract of country in Glen Mills and hired well-known Philadelphia architects Cope and Stewardson to design the dormitories and campus buildings of what would become the “Glen Mills School Girls Department.” Male students were to remain at the Glen Mills School. Construction on the girls school began in 1909 and opened its doors in 1910.
The original school plan included nine dormitory cottages (Campbell, Dubois-Miller, Harrison, Lincoln, Logan, Lucrettia Mott, Robinson, Washington, and Watson), an administrative building, small cottage, stone barn, and power plant. The buildings main design style are Colonial Revival and Georgian Revival, two popular architectural styles of the early 20th century. Additional property and buildings were acquired over the years, including what became Stokes Cottage and Little House.
Every girl admitted to the school was sent there on a court order and had already experienced living in an institutional setting, whether that was at an orphanage or poor house, but most had already been sentence to a correctional facility before coming to the farm school. Them most common offenses for these young females included “incorrigibility,” an extremely broad and intentionally ill-defined charge that referred to any number of criminal offenses, “immorality,” larceny, breaking probation, and attempted suicide. Both Black and white females were sent to Sleighton. Ages of the students ranged from nine years to twenty years old. After spending two years at Sleighton, the students are assigned to a parole officer who place them in suitable homes or occupations.
In 1931, the school changed its name to the Sleighton Farm School for Girls and by 1949, the campus had grown to 350 acres with a student population of 260 females.
The Sleighton Farm School became co-ed again in 1975 and closed in 2001.
Buildings and Cottages[edit]
Campbell Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909.
Cannery – A small clapboard building used for canning fruit and was in high use during the school’s farming curriculum. In later years, the building was converted to a pool house for the nearby swimming pool.
Chapel – Built 1965 in the Gothic Revival style. Non-denominational chapel.
Clubhouse – Stone and stucco home built in the early 1800s and bought by Sleighton in the early 20th century.
Deborah-Logan Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909. Destroyed by fire.
Dubois-Miller Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909.
Evans House – Originally built 1833 and acquired by the House of Refuge in 1905.
Falconer Education Center – Named after the school’s first superintendent Marth Platt Falconer, who was instrumental in reforming the school’s curriculum and design. Date and architect unknown. Majority of the educational center was destroyed in a fire in 2012.
Farm Office Building – Built 1913 to house faculty.
Harrison Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909.
John Sergeant Administrative Building – Greek Revival stone building designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909. Located at the main entrance of the school.
Lincoln Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909.
Little House – Stone and stucco Federal style home built in 1803. Another of the acquired properties bought by Sleighton in the early 1900s.
Lucretia Mott Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909. Largest cottage on campus and received the female students first entering the school.
Marie B. Lucky House – Originally a carriage house built in the 1800s, and later converted into a home.
Meredith Center – Greek Revival building built in 1870 and located across the street from the main campus. This building was used as the school’s mental health facility.
Mother-Baby House – Located off of the main campus, this building served as an education center for young mothers.
Powerhouse – stone, one-story utility building built in 1909.
Robinson Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909.
Stokes Barn – Located next to Stokes Cottage, the barn housed the school’s livestock during its farming operations.
Stokes Cottage – Stone and stucco Federal style home built in early 1800s. Served as employee residences.
Stone Barn – Built 1909. Remains are now referred to as the “Sunken Gardens.”
Washington Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909. Destroyed by fire in 2014.
Watson Cottage – Colonial Revival stone cottage designed by Cope and Stewardson, built 1909.
Present Day[edit]
Many of the original buildings still stand abandoned and are rapidly deteriorating. The properly is under security surveillance and visiting the property is not condoned or suggested. The Logan Cottage, Falconer Education Building, Lincoln Cottage, and Washington Cottage were all destroyed by fires in the 2010s.
Developers have tried to purchase Sleighton Farm land, but those plans were never approved. Part of the property has been turned into a community park, but the campus buildings remain closed off to the public.
Images of Sleighton Farm School[edit]
Main Image Gallery: Sleighton Farm School
