Exeter Girls: Volume II – More Letters from a Feeble-Minded School

Volume II of Exeter Girls unveils new, never-before-seen letters and documents from three more women committed to the Ladd School, Rhode Island’s institution for the ‘feeble-minded,’ in the 1920s. These powerful firsthand accounts reveal the personal toll of changing social attitudes, economic hardships, and rigid beliefs about mental health and morality. This volume sheds light on the struggles of women whose lives were shaped by the Ladd School, and the impact on their families and communities. By amplifying these silenced voices, Exeter Girls continues to challenge our perceptions of mental health care and social welfare in a bygone era.