COLLECTION 066 · SGC-CT066-066
New Haven County · Hospitals & institutions
A residential campus provides evidence for the history of disability services and institutional life.
Active historic institution; not an abandoned hospital
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2015-05-31 18:31:19
Southbury Training School Southbury Training School Active historic institution; do not label as abandoned.
2018-06-17 10:42:31
The administration building at the Southbury Training School named after Lenore H. Davidson. The building houses the administrative offices of the Training School as well as a location of the Connecticut State Employees Credit Union. Active historic institution; do not label as abandoned.
2018-06-17 10:41:52
The building facing Route 172 at Southbury Training School. Is the largest building on campus and houses medical and dental units, the old gymnasiums and classrooms, as well as other day program areas for residents. Active historic institution; do not label as abandoned.
2016-01-13
Large greenhouse leaves viewed through glass at Southbury. Plants inside the school's greenhouse appear through the window in this January 2016 photograph.
Karl Thomas Moore / Wikimedia Commons (see source page for original provenance)
Original source · Reuse terms2016-03-02
Small greenhouse structures and seed/herb display inside the Southbury greenhouse. A March 2016 photograph records the greenhouse as part of the school's working campus.
Karl Thomas Moore / Wikimedia Commons (see source page for original provenance)
Original source · Reuse termsCOLLECTION HISTORY
Southbury Training School was developed in the 1930s and opened in 1940 as a residential institution for people with intellectual disabilities. Its campus combined residential, educational, medical and administrative functions. The historic district entered the National Register in 1992. [CT066-S01] [CT066-S02]
Although admissions ended, the institution continued operating. Its history belongs to the wider changes in disability services and the movement toward community living. Architecture alone cannot explain residents’ experiences: testimony, policy records and accounts by people with disabilities are essential complementary sources. [CT066-S01] [CT066-S02]
The residential campus that opened in 1940 combined education, accommodation, medical care and administration. Its arrangement can be studied through plans and photographs, but the institution's buildings are only one part of its history. [CT066-S01] [CT066-S02]
The end of admissions did not immediately end operation. That distinction matters when following the broader movement toward community living and changes in disability services. Architecture can establish how spaces were organized, while testimony from people with disabilities is essential for understanding life within them and beyond them. National Register recognition in 1992 documents historic significance; it does not endorse every institutional policy or supply the missing perspectives of residents. The collection is a starting point for bringing those different forms of evidence together. [CT066-S01] [CT066-S02]
New Haven County · 5 included photographs
Research edition: September 12, 2026
THE SEARCHABLE CATALOG
Search includes catalog notes and the OCR text included with this edition. OCR may misread names or dates; use the original scan to verify a match.
CT066-S01 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Southbury Training School
Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. A residential campus provides evidence for the history of disability services and institutional life.
Read item & source notesCT066-S02 · Sources & research leads · Source reviewed September 2026
Southbury Training School
Supporting source for the collection’s history, chronology and research notes. A residential campus provides evidence for the history of disability services and institutional life.
Read item & source notesCT066-P01 · Photographs · 2015-05-31 18:31:19
Southbury Training School
Southbury Training School Southbury Training School
Read item & source notes
CT066-P02 · Photographs · 2018-06-17 10:42:31
Southbury Training School
The administration building at the Southbury Training School named after Lenore H. Davidson. The building houses the administrative offices of the Training School as well as a location of the Connecticut State Employees Credit Union.
Read item & source notes
CT066-P03 · Photographs · 2018-06-17 10:41:52
Southbury Training School
The building facing Route 172 at Southbury Training School. Is the largest building on campus and houses medical and dental units, the old gymnasiums and classrooms, as well as other day program areas for residents.
Read item & source notes
ED-H2-HT-SP-007 · Photographs · 2016-01-13
Southbury Training School
Large greenhouse leaves viewed through glass at Southbury. Plants inside the school's greenhouse appear through the window in this January 2016 photograph.
Read item & source notes
ED-H2-HT-SP-008 · Photographs · 2016-03-02
Southbury Training School
Small greenhouse structures and seed/herb display inside the Southbury greenhouse. A March 2016 photograph records the greenhouse as part of the school's working campus.
Read item & source notesED-H2-HT-SP-009 · Photographs · 2018-06-17
Southbury Training School
The Great Lawn in front of the Ernest N. Roselle School faces Route 172, photographed in June 2018.
Read item & source notesExtract the ZIP and open START_HERE.html. It includes the catalog, selected images, acquired source text, credits and a searchable SQLite database. New photo additions are hosted in the SGC media library and require an internet connection; original bundled images remain available offline.
