Belchertown mural puts community stamp on former state institution amherstbulletin.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from amherstbulletin.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
BELCHERTOWN For 70 years, the building at 6 Berkshire Ave. was part of the “Belchertown State School for the Feeble-Minded,” where people deemed to be “mentally defective” were kept in inhumane conditions until the facility was shuttered in.
BELCHERTOWN When Donald Vitkus died in 2018, he left behind a legacy of disability rights advocacy. Vitkus, a former resident of Belchertown State School, worked with author Ed Orzechowski to chronicle his experiences at the school in a book and.