Maine History Online

Institutions were long thought to be the most humane and most modern way for society to care for people who had been labeled "feeble-minded," "idiot," "moron," "defective," "deficient" and "retard."

Maine's institution, like many, was called a "school."

Begun as the "Maine School for the Feeble-Minded" in 1908, it became "Pownal State School" in 1925.

The designation of "school" stuck, although classroom education was a small part of the mission of the institution.