Milford chronicle., 1918-05-24
site CHOSEN FOR HOME,
OF The FEEBLE MINDED
The Townsend Farm, in Sussex. Con.
sldered by Commission as the
Best Adapted


Home for the Predetermined. was the
result, it has been learned. of insist
ence on the part of the Governors col
| leagues on the commission, due to
! their judgment that il was better
/ adapted to the needs of the new insti-
! tuition than any other they had seen,
and in selling, the governor, it devel
/ ops. has TO make not only a financial
| sacrifice but also materially change
/ his plans with respect to his agricul-
/ tural interests.
This plan was made quite clear by
/ Mrs. Selden 5. Deemer of New Castle.
chairman of the commission. when she
was asked about the matter Though
reluctant 70 take any credit TO her
self Mrs. Deemer. in view of the fact
that the matter is one that interests
the public was quite willing to give
the facts.
The commission, which was appoint
ed by legislative authority. pursuant
20 an act passed by the Legislature
at its last session. comprises Govern
or Townsend. Mrs. Deemer. who is
the chairman. former Governor Chas |
r. Miller and State Senator Thomas F. |
GOrmley Of Wilmington, Mrs. Emma |
Burnett John B. Hutton and Arley B. !
Magee Of Dover. Mrs S H. Messick !
OF Brdgeville, William X. Morgan of |
SeafOrd, and Robert G. Houston Of /
Georgetown.
Delaware being one of the few states
that have neglected the feeble-minded,
all the commissioners felt deep in
terest in doing something in their be-
half as soon as possible. Now there
is no provision for the care Of mental
detectives, and they either have to re-
main with their families or go to in
stitutions for insane or almshouses.
neither OF which plans is beneficial 10
the unfortunate subject or the COM
munity.
While the Legislature appropriated
only $4,000 for the establishment of
the institution. barely enough TO pay
for the crude buildings that would be
necessary for housing purposes, the
project was found not to be impossible
in view of the fact that Mrs Deemer
had personally assumed the respOn-
sibility Of raising the funds with which
70 pay for the necessary ground. }
Therefore. while the institution Will {
be State property. the State will not d
pay the bill, so far as the ground is i
concerned, that bill being paid BY pri- !
ty of Mrs. Deemer a
Because of Mrs. Deemer's great in a
crest in the matter of State care Of a
mental detectives. and because of her !,
excellent judgment in matters of the a
lind, she having studied the subject In il
'ther States where there are such in o
titutiOns, and also i'm view of the fact C.
hat she had agreed TO raise the fund a
o pay for the property. her colleagues 70
10 the commission left with her the Il
natter Of suggesting a site. After a 81
our Of the State she found near Sell m
willie a farm which She considered II
ieal for the purpose As Governor NJ
'Ownsend. a member of the commits pi
ion, lives at Selbyyille. Mrs Deemer h,
lquired of him as 90 the ownership ~
the farm. not having obtained the L..
formation from others. The Gov =
rnor, surprised over its selection, told O'
er the farm was his property. which
as the first information she had on
his point.
Mrs. Deemer then told the Govern
= that, after looking about the State, ~
ne considered this the best site avail 81
bic for the home Governor Town pa
End, however. expressed the desire ~
lat another site could be found. first, m
7cause he did not want to sell the
nm. having bought il for a specific ga
sricultural purpose. and. further. be- IN
luse of the delicacy of his position wi
? being a member of the commission a
nd also being Governor of the State co
Had Been Bought for an Orchard. tol
Pressed for a reason for not wanting
sell, the Governor explained that ed
ter considerable EFFORT he had bought ,.
veral contiguous farms for the pur- ini
'se Of setting out a large orchard, CHI
wing spent the two years Of his own Of
ship of the property in making
eparation for doing this.
Accordingly. when the commission
ID a meeting at Dover last fall, to
ar Mrs. Deemer's report, as we'll as 1H'
at OF other members of the commits ou
IN who had been assisting in the les
est for a suitable location, the Gov Jui
lOr's farm and one owned by State any
natOr Edward Hart. near Townsend, ora
re proposed, and subsequently, at sal
: request of Prof Harry Hayward, dnu l
ectOr of Delaware College Agricul- 9la
al Experiment Station, and Prof De
thur E. Grantham, agrOnomist, in lue
scted the two farms, and as a result pro
y recommended the Hart farm, lei
efly because Of its adaptability to
estock raising, though there were
ny advantages in favor Of the Gov =
Or's farm. ora
n order to learn his views. Prof. tbe
yward was interviewed. Ros
Grantham and inspected his
Townsend farm early in Decem- tere
>" Professor Hayward said. "The priz
m, on both sides of the Delaware. for
ryland and Virginia Railroad, sur Stat
nds the station at Stockley, four
a half miles below Georgetown Loo
is practically all cleared land, a
ical Sussex farm-level, easily and C.
! drained and particularly adapted rece
the trucking crops Of the section, Rog
.wberries, sweet potatoes. melons, mar
talOupes and tomatoes. crops for was
ch Sussex is famous and in which was
nch OF agriculture the county is to
Continued on page two) you