The Ladd School

Collections

The Ladd School

All Collections

Found, gathered, and carefully cataloged over a period of twenty years, this is the largest collection of Ladd School history and artifacts in the world.

Photographs

35mm Slides (1950s — '70s)

This collection of nearly 1,000 photographs provides a broad, candid, and intimate look at life behind and beyond the walls of the Ladd School.

EXAMINE 

Newspapers

Newsprint, Photocopies (1904 — present)

Spanning one hundred years of history, more than three quarters of this newspaper archive is the genuine article, in newsprint.

EXAMINE 

Film Reels

Helical Scan (1970s?)

More than 15 hours — over six miles — of reel-to-reel film of the Ladd School, recorded between about 1960 and 1972.

EXAMINE 

Postcards

Ephemera (1800s — 1900s)

These are not reproductions. Stamped, dated, and handwritten, these postcards come from a variety of state institutions, including the Ladd School.

EXAMINE 

Glass Plate Negatives

Photographs, Negatives (1920 — 1924)

Captured in film between 1920 and 1924, these are some of the earliest known photographs of the Ladd School in existence.

EXAMINE 

Press Photos

Photographs (1960s — '70s)

Professional photographs of public events at and about the Ladd School in the 1960s and 1970s.

EXAMINE 

Newsletters

Print (1955 — '78)

A tapestry of quaint minutiae interwoven with historical insights into the daily life and operation of The Ladd School.

EXAMINE 

Maps

Maps (1870 — 2000s)

The centerpiece of this collection is a 33-inch original blueprint of the Ladd School from 1949.

EXAMINE 

Invitations

Ephemera (1959 — 1999)

Invitations, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, and maps to events in the Ladd School's late history.

EXAMINE 

Digitized Film

"Give The World a Smile" (1971 — 1975)

EXAMINE 

Coming Soon

November 2024

Misfits for as Long as They Lived.

At last, the words of those who conspired against them betray the reasons why they were called Exeter Girls.


WHO WERE THEY? 

More to See


Stories | Non-Fiction

True stories from the Ladd School

History | Learn More

About the Ladd School

About Us | Who We Are

What we do and why
Exeter Girls: Letters From a Feeble-Minded School on Amazon.com
Exeter Girls: Letters From a Feeble-Minded School on Amazon.com

Frequently Asked Questions


Where do you get your materials?
Most of our materials are donations. They come from good people with private collections.
Can I visit the LSHS?
The Ladd School Historical Society is closed to the public.
Do you accept donations?
Your monetary donations will go toward preserving materials or creating new exibits. If you'd like for us to save or share something, we're very good at that.