1,384 Comments for Gaebler Children's Center

If you go back through the door and into the stairwell, you head up to the 3rd floor, as you walk out from the door, Ward E is to the left and Ward B was to the right.
There is also an elevator right next to the door to the stairs.
Now,back to the main floor, the 1st floor.
Leaving the stairwell you take a right, there is a small flight of stairs here with a door directly in front, and a door to the right, the door directly in front lead into the print shop, which was on the left back in 1973 or 1974, and the woodshop was on the right back then, further down the hallway was other rooms that did other activities like sewing and arts and crafts.
Coming back out and standing at the bottom of the small flight of stairs is the door , that I said is to the right, this door lead into the kitchen, not the cafetiere pro se.
This was setup like a prison mess hall line, you would grab a tray and walk down the line to get your food, then when you was done you would find a table in the main cafetiere to eat.
After eating you left through a door that lead back out into the hallway. The print shop and woodshop is now to the right.
There is the blue door with a glass window that has metal wires in it, this leads out to freedom, this is where you first enter the place, where Mr.Heathwood had his office.
The main lobby had snack and soda machines.
Going left you come to the door that opens into a large room, this room was where they had coffee hour every saturday and sunday morning.
We would get together and have coffee and listen to music.
Motts, or anyone who has been here, do you remember this?
If memory serves, I think back in 1981 or 1982 the print shop and woodshop was made into classrooms.

Come to think of it, I was in seclusion on all 4 wards at one time or another.
Out of the 4 wards only 3 was used to house children back when I was there, 1973 or 1974 and then again in 1981 or 1982.
The wards that did house children was, pre-teen, was Ward B.
Teenagers was housed on Wards D and E.
The 4th ward, which was on the 2nd floor, was to the left as you come through the door from the stairs.
This ward was used for daycare.
No one lived on this ward.
I was placed in the seclusion rooms on this ward a few times as well.
Still, on the 2nd floor if you turn right from the stairs you will come to Ward D. Now, in this hallway there is, if memory serves correct, a door that had a pool table in it. further down the hallway, going to the right, was a big double door, this lead into the gym.
Motts, do you have pictures of this?

There was another counselor on B-Ward back in 1981 or 1982.
A black man, very nice person who I was close too.
We both played sports and we would go into the gym alot and throw the baseball around, both of us thought about going into the Babe Ruth league and then onto the minors.
So we practiced our pitching in this gym.
I think his name was Willie, but I'm not certain.
He was a nice man, and he did help us alot.
Back in 1973 or 1974 we did alot of roller skating in here.
But back in 1981 or 1982 while I was on D-Ward we had "field trips" every friday or saturday night and went roller skating in town.

Although people will believe what they want, Gaebler was not all the nightmarish things people believe, at least, not in my case.
I can't speak for the other children who was here, nor can I claim to know what they personally have gone through, I can only relate to you my own stories and what happened to me.
Like I said before, I have both good and bad memories here, I relate the good memories so others can see Gaebler in a different light.
As for my bad memories, well, let's just say there is still a 6 year old child in a little room down a mid length hallway on B-Ward.
If I was still in mass I would be there in a heartbeat, but I'm not, I'm in Colorado.
What would I hope to find if I went there?
Or seen a full picture of the room I described?
I'm not sure, healing maybe.
But I would like to see the place again before they tear it down.

Here is some more information that people may not know.
Behind this place is a play ground of sorts, and yes we did get to go outside and we did get to take hikes and "Field Trips" into town.
There is also a path that runs by the big water tower, that was the path that we took hikes on.
Out in the play ground area we also planted sunflowers.
I did find some pictures of the exterior if the admins here would like I can send them and they can post them.

One thing I would like to see if Motts, and anyone else who is up for it. is more pictures, document every nook and cranny.
Tak complete pictures of every room and try to get some nice pictures of the main hallways.
With those pictures I can tell you where they are and give a "tour" of the place.

Yummy!!! It is adicting!!!

mmmmmm..... yum

I am too!!!

Are you done guessing???
Let me tell you that nothing happened. I was scared to death! LOL
So what happened was we started to talk and someone woke up and screamed!
I was already scared to death to begin with and now I thought I was going to die!
All of a sudden we heard keys and running and so I hid long enough to be missed by one of the night counselors and took off to my bed.
Needless to say the following morning we was in big time trouble.
I think back on that now and I just laugh so hard.

"The Races"
When I was on B-Ward (1973 or 1974) they used to have races.
We would race from one end of the ward to the other and back again.
I remember during one of these races a kid got his left arm caught on the water fountain.
The water fountain was right at the "elbow" of the hallway on the left hand side.
The kid tore his arm wide open and was taking to the hospital.
Needless to say the races was over and we could not run in the hallway anymore.
Sorry about my ramblings, memories surface and just trying to share them.
I have both good and bad memories from this place.
In 1981 or 1982 when I was on D-Ward there was a beautiful chinese girl who was on E-Ward, who I met going to school in the classrooms down on the first floor.
We was an item for awhile.
She taught me a little chinese.
And there was another girl named Kim (last name withheld) who was my girlfriend on D-Ward, and that got us into trouble!!
One night while the 3rd shift staff was asleep by the doors, me and another friend left our beds and went to the girls rooms at the end of the hallway on D-Ward, and, well, you can guess what took place.
Let me tell you, that got us into big, big trouble!
LOL

Back in 1981 or 1982 when I was there, on D-Ward, the 2 "counselors" that I remember, other then Mr. heathwood, was a big guy named Jack. Hestood about 6'4' or 6'5' and weigh about 245+ with black curly hair and glasses.
The other was a female who had lost her right arm?
She had a hook.
Back in 1973 or 1974 when I was on B-Ward people from the outside would come in to sing and play music for us in the long hallway.
I don't recall any of the "counselor's names", but there was one guy who was leaving the place and he got permission from Mr. Heathwood to give me a pair of radio walkie-talkies.
If anyone else remembers, love to hear from you.

The rooms I just described above for B-Ward was where my room was back in 1973 or 1974.
My room was at the end of this hallway on the right hand side.
My second stay was back in 1981 or 1982, then I was a teenager and again, like back in the 70's, Mr. Heathwood was in charge of the place.
When you approach D-Ward there is a door on the left, this is the tv room. Straight ahead is the main door to D-Ward.
When you enter D-Ward there is a door on your left, this door is the office.
A door on to the right, which has 2 seclusion room.
up the hall you have another door on the left, this was where I stayed, in this room and all the way to the back on the left was where my bed was at.

Not sure about this one.
I think it might be a room on B-Ward.
Right before you step onto B-Ward there is a door to the left that has a mid length hallway in it.
Doors line the right side with a door at the very end of the hallway.
This looks like one of the rooms in that location on B-Ward.

Considering that they never re-painted the place, I'm willing to bet my name and date is still in the room up on B-ward.

these are 2 pictures taken from 2 different areas, so I'm not certain where they could be, Ernie I think was on B-Ward.