Officials from the State of Maine visited the American School for the Deaf

9/23/1863 |

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This morning, officials from the State of Maine visited the 38 students from their state who were attending the American School for Deaf.

More Details

School officials were on hand to greet the visitors.
The state officials were

Alvin Coburn, who was the governor;
Joseph B. Hall, who was the Secretary of State;
James Bell;
J. J. Perry;
H. B. Prescott;
R. S. Rich; and
H. Ruggles.

According to the Courant, they “expressed themselves much pleased with their visit.”

And then there's this

In the afternoon, the visitors from Maine toured Hartford, visiting Colt’s Armory, the Institute for the Living, and the Wadsworth Atheneum.
They stayed overnight at Allyn House and planned to leave tomorrow morning on the early train.

Trust but verify

The article described H. B. Prescott as “of the Council,” but I have no idea at this point what that means.
Prescott and the other officials who were not identified as officeholders were identified by the towns they represented. One inference can be drawn is that they were from the state’s legislature.

A peek behind the blue-beaded curtain

The Courant described the school as the “Deaf and Dumb Asylum.”
The Institute for the Living was at this time “the Retreat,” which was short for the Retreat for the Insane.

Source

Unattributed. “Deaf and Dumb Asylum visitors,” Hartford Daily Courant, September 24, 1863, page 2.

History

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