1,384 Comments for Gaebler Children's Center

I AM A WARD (E) KID MYSELF. And the picture of the room reminds me of a guy with goldrim (circular) glasses, a very kempt beard (brown) and with very thin wrists. Could be Wrong?!?

The only room comparable in size that they would grace upon a child is the "seclusion room" where solitde and screaming were the order of the day, alongside the crappy lunch you would get while there. The room is 4(w) feet by 9(l) feet by 12 feet (h) and a 2" sleel and plexiglass door. I remember when they put the new doors in to replce the bloody 1" steel and cracked glass doors.

See what happens when the wires go down. Happened once while I was there.

And, If I am not Mistaken, That is the same piano we used for our production (I had a large role too) of "Your a Good Man Charlie Brown". However, my acting career ended while trying to get our failed attempt of "Grease" off of the ground.

That Pinball Machine walked out of the 1970 on all four (three, one was fitted) legs

The door(s) on the golden wall used to be an adminisrators office and a social workers office ( only in twice a week O.O)
In the back corridors were storage rooms for Field games and other junk. However, one was reserved as a game room (Remember, this is while I was there). At one point there was a Pinball machine that worked only have of the time.

During my time, the 2 corridors in the back were called aptly (left) "Boners Lane" and (Right) Kissing Alley. Aptly named because if you had enough 'privilages' you could go unsupervised in some areas. Boys and girls , girls and girls, and even boy's and boy's would go back there for sompin'-sompin.
I used to watch them go back there, I was only 13 and nieve as a brick, and come back out 10-15 min later. Much of the time it was to use the payphone

To begin with Iwas there from 1983-1986 and it was !NOT! a place where children should have been placed, even for for the mildest case of potty mouth (yes, there were some there who could not control their mouths).

Let me tell you a bit about this room...This was once called "the Rec Center", or recreationa center for pre/adolescent and pubescent kids. Along the golden back wall used to be short, but long stack of shelves for books. The cabinet you see strait ahead, yes that one, held the bodacious 20" color TV.
What you do not see is the ramp leading to the inner sanctum sanitorium. aka-leads to the kitchen and some side rooms.
I could just fill this thread with soooooooo much, but I will leave there and post anew.

Daren and John.....can't wait to see the photos. John, I hope all this is helping you heal a little. My heart goes out to you

I need to say (and if I could I would be actually SHOUTING) READ THE COMMENTS FROM THOSE WHO ACTUALLY GOT PUT IN THESE PLACES before you write. I am close to tears here as I read from Gaebler school girl then immediately after, a comment reading 'amazing' and 'beautiful' . I am not diminishing anyone's viewpoint (sorry Jima) but I really feel these people's pain as they look at these images. Motts, you are a GREAT photographer and a sensitive artist. You must feel responsible for evoking these reactions in people who lived these things first hand?

Everyone that stayed here.....I'd like to say congratulate you for being survivors. I am a teacher and I love children...I see my job as more than teaching a subject, I care about children and how they see their world and how it shapes them. Whatever you all went through during childhood, bravo for making a success of your lives.

I've been in here a few times now, it's much more vandalized than these pictures unfortunately. I just got home from the place not an hour ago. I've just found John's information on the place in the comments around here and I plan on printing them out for when I go back soon, hopefully I can get some pictures up.

Gaebler is an incredible place to visit. The history is so incredible, it's very haunting to stand in those halls now and imagine what it must have been like for you, the patients, back when it was operational.

any other fun or interesting stories john? i'm down to hear about anything. (:

Gaebler 1988 I left there in 1988, e-mail me at lmdewolfe@gmail.com and maybe we know each other. No need for names here.

I was there 2 day and the room looks nothing like the pix anymore very haunting and decrepid all the walls are covered in grafiti and it's musty dark and chilling there's even a grafiti tag called 'dick man' idk it's a cool place tho they have all the windows borded up so it's impossible 2 see in there if only it were unborded I guess is the way 2 put it

Hi Gaebler 1988,
I was on D Ward, but it that was before your time.