Historic Ladd School Films
Donation protected
OVER 16 HOURS of film and sound from Rhode Island's notorious abandoned asylum have been found. Now, we need your help to discover what was recorded at the historic Ladd School more than 40 years ago.
THE LADD SCHOOL
Once called the "home of the eternally doomed," the Dr. Joseph H. Ladd School in Exeter, Rhode Island, is as legendary as it was notorious.
What began in 1908 as an experimental farm colony for the “feeble-minded” in the isolation of a rural New England town grew to the size of a small village in the 1920s and 30s.
Occupying nearly one square mile and composed of more than 30 buildings including a fire station, a hospital and school, for over a half century The Ladd School was the state’s only public custodial institution for people with developmental disabilities.
Plagued by disease, abuse and neglect, the Ladd School was abandoned in 1994 after enduring decades of scandals. For years after, its deserted buildings were the object of local folklore, and became a popular destination for urban explorers, photographers and vandals, until at last they were demolished in 2014.
Today, the institution has all but vanished; now, only the recordings remain.
OVER 16 HOURS OF FILM & SOUND
Recently, 24 reels (about 29,000 feet!) of film and sound recorded at the institution have surfaced.
But these are no ordinary home movies; they’re helical scan reels, recorded on what was, in the 1970s, state-of-the-art professional equipment.
Unfortunately, as time goes by the equipment needed to play these films is becoming increasingly rare; and so, with each passing year they are ever more difficult to digitize and preserve.
OUR CAMPAIGN
Because of the unique and rare nature of these film reels, it’s important that they are handled by professionals.
The estimated cost for their professional preservation is $90 for each 5” reel, and $120 for each 7” reel. This includes the price of cleaning each reel of film, applying a heat treatment to render it playable, and converting it to a format that can be viewed on any modern television or computer screen and web browser.
Additional funds must be allotted for taxes, shipping costs, and digital video storage.
To complete this project, we estimate the need for a total of $2,500. Our GoFundMe goal will be set to $3,000 to ensure its success. Funding received in excess of the needed amount will be afforded to further preservational efforts.
At the completion of this project, the digitized videos will be made available to the viewing public.
THANK YOU
Thank you for taking an interest in our campaign.
Historical preservation is important to us, and we hope that it's important to you, too.
With your contribution, together we will share the unique experience of being among the first people to view the contents of these films after nearly a half century in storage.
We cannot complete this goal without your help; so please consider making a donation today to save these historic films.
To learn more about The Ladd School Historical Society, please visit our website at theladdschool.com.
To see some examples of past films we've had digitized, visit theladdschool.com/film .
For more, follow us on Facebook .
THE LADD SCHOOL
Once called the "home of the eternally doomed," the Dr. Joseph H. Ladd School in Exeter, Rhode Island, is as legendary as it was notorious.
What began in 1908 as an experimental farm colony for the “feeble-minded” in the isolation of a rural New England town grew to the size of a small village in the 1920s and 30s.
Occupying nearly one square mile and composed of more than 30 buildings including a fire station, a hospital and school, for over a half century The Ladd School was the state’s only public custodial institution for people with developmental disabilities.
Plagued by disease, abuse and neglect, the Ladd School was abandoned in 1994 after enduring decades of scandals. For years after, its deserted buildings were the object of local folklore, and became a popular destination for urban explorers, photographers and vandals, until at last they were demolished in 2014.
Today, the institution has all but vanished; now, only the recordings remain.
OVER 16 HOURS OF FILM & SOUND
Recently, 24 reels (about 29,000 feet!) of film and sound recorded at the institution have surfaced.
But these are no ordinary home movies; they’re helical scan reels, recorded on what was, in the 1970s, state-of-the-art professional equipment.
Unfortunately, as time goes by the equipment needed to play these films is becoming increasingly rare; and so, with each passing year they are ever more difficult to digitize and preserve.
OUR CAMPAIGN
Because of the unique and rare nature of these film reels, it’s important that they are handled by professionals.
The estimated cost for their professional preservation is $90 for each 5” reel, and $120 for each 7” reel. This includes the price of cleaning each reel of film, applying a heat treatment to render it playable, and converting it to a format that can be viewed on any modern television or computer screen and web browser.
Additional funds must be allotted for taxes, shipping costs, and digital video storage.
To complete this project, we estimate the need for a total of $2,500. Our GoFundMe goal will be set to $3,000 to ensure its success. Funding received in excess of the needed amount will be afforded to further preservational efforts.
At the completion of this project, the digitized videos will be made available to the viewing public.
THANK YOU
Thank you for taking an interest in our campaign.
Historical preservation is important to us, and we hope that it's important to you, too.
With your contribution, together we will share the unique experience of being among the first people to view the contents of these films after nearly a half century in storage.
We cannot complete this goal without your help; so please consider making a donation today to save these historic films.
To learn more about The Ladd School Historical Society, please visit our website at theladdschool.com.
To see some examples of past films we've had digitized, visit theladdschool.com/film .
For more, follow us on Facebook .
Organizer
Ladd Curator
Organizer
Providence, RI
