Lincoln Developmental Center

The Lincoln Developmental Center was a state school for people with developmental disabilities in Lincoln, Illinois. It was founded in 1877 as the Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children, became the Lincoln State School in 1954, and adopted its final name in 1975. It was closed in 2002 by Gov. George Ryan after reports of abuse, neglect and preventable deaths.^[1][2]

Lincoln Developmental Center
Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children Lincoln State School Lincoln State School and Colony
Illustration, 1891
Type	State school
Location	Lincoln, Illinois
Founded	1877

According to historian David Bakke, "conditions at the Lincoln State School were horrible; overcrowded and understaffed. It was a community unto itself. The deaths of residents were not investigated, and their bodies were buried on the grounds".^[3] According to Edwin Black, author of War Against the Weak,^[4] milk from cows diseased with tuberculosis were willingly fed to the patient/residents, frequently resulting in infection.

Names

History of name changes:^[5]

• Illinois Asylum for Feeble-Minded Children (1877-1909)
• Lincoln State School and Colony (1909-1953)
• Lincoln State School (1953-1975)
• Lincoln Developmental Center (1975-2002)

History of administrative responsibility:^[5]

• Board of State Commissioners of Public Charities (1871-1909)
• Board of Administration (1909-1917)
• Dept. of Public Welfare (1917-1961)
• Dept. of Mental Health (1961-1975)
• Dept. of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (1975-2002)

Illinois Youth Center

In 2021, the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice proposed using the Lincoln Development Center property for a new Illinois Youth Center.^[6] Construction on the project began in March 2023.^[7] Funding from the Rebuild Illinois Capital program will provide renovations of two 4,300 square foot cottages for housing, with additional cottages for programming and administrative use. A new 27,000 square foot multipurpose building will include educational, recreational, and dietary services.^[7]

Notable people incarcerated

• Henry Darger, who made outsider art
• John Doe No. 24, unidentified deaf man who spent 30 years at Lincoln
• Frank Robert Giroux