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Archiver > MAMIDDLE > 2007-10 > 1193246564


From: Douglas Brown <>
Subject: Re: [MAMiddle] Fernald School in Waltham
Date: Wed, 24 Oct 2007 13:22:44 -0400


Some GOOGLE search hits have the Fernald School in Waverley, MA from
1895 till 1949
the town was founded and inhabited by the the hospital employees of
both the
WE FERNALD School and the nearby McLean Hospital (pronounced Mc LANE)

the McLean facility moving from Somerville,MA to Northeast
Watertown's "Waverley Hill "section, in 1895
on the advice of the noted landscape architech/author Fredrick Law
Olmsted who then,with his son used
their talents to landscape both the Fernald and McLean's extensive
grounds . The theory being that the
beautiful country surroundings would help the mental patients
lifestyle, the item goes on to say, that

"The doctors set up a program to educate only the intelligent Idiots,
giving them lots of oatmeal to eat
and taking them to the Red Sox baseball games at Fenway...."
( I'm sure the article did not mean to imply that all Red Sox fans are
intelligent Idiots,
only some of them-dvb )-

Both Olmsted and son became patients at Mclean and both died there
Fredrick Law Olmsted (1822-1903 )

The Waverley Hills section of Watertown was famous world wide for its
white Oak tree that grew in
abundance and probably ,doug *thinks* was cultivated,grown and the
feature attraction in the
Fredrick Law Olmsted's landscapes that came to be known as "Waverley
Oak"
don't quote me because I am still researching the OLMSTED & Waverley
Oak tree connection
maybe the Fernald job was 1st introducing the backwoods area to
Olmsted ??

Betty's 1900-1910-1920 census must have been Waltham but a
District-Waverley Post Office note
may have been overlooked IGoogle search has a letter dated Mar 1949
addressed to

Walter E Fernald School- Waverley MA 78

Do you remember the two digit ZIP codes???

The 78 has now been expanded to 02478 for Belmont MA
Waverley is part of Belmont

dougvbrown-files-071024


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