In 1907, the Oregon State Institution for the Feeble-Minded was created by the Oregon State Legislature. It was established as a quasi-educational institution charged with educating the "feeble-minded" and caring for the "idiotic and epileptic." The facility was overseen by a Board of Trustees consisting of the Governor, Secretary of State and State Treasurer. Construction had progressed enough by 1908 that the first patients were transferred from the Oregon State Insane Asylum. They resided on a compound consisting of an administration building, a dormitory, a laundry and boiler house. By 1913, two more cottages were constructed and the Board of Trustees was replaced by the Oregon State Board of Control. In 1917, a commitment law was passed that was to standardize admissions to the institution by insuring that valuable space was used for the "feeble-minded" and not for the "insane". It also imposed an age limit on admissions to people five years of age and older. The age limit was removed in 1921. The institution had a working farm that provided both food and training for its residents. By 1920, most of the land to be used for farming had been cleared. were planted in crops and in orchards. The farm also raised hogs, chickens, and dairy and beef cattle. In 1923, the legislature established the Oregon Board of Eugenics, and Fairview's superintendent served as an ex-officioboard member. The eugenics legislation provided for the "sterilization of all feeble-minded, insane, epileptics, habitual criminals, moral degenerates, and sexual perverts who are a menace to society." Sterilizations required either the person's consent or a court order. By 1929, 300 residents had been sterilized. Two types of parole for residents were established in 1931: home parole and industrial parole. Requirements for parole included a surety bond filed by the parolee's guardian or overseer, who had to have a net worth of at least $1000 and have lived in the state for at least six months, the parolee had to be sterilized, and the home or workplace had to be inspected. Two-thirds of residents who had been sterilized were paroled, which freed up beds for new patients. In 1933 the facility was renamed Oregon Fairview Home. Changes in care and additions to the facility continued through the 1940s-1960s, and improvements were made to the medical care and nutrition of the residents. In 1965, Oregon Fairview Home was renamed Fairview Hospital and Training Center. In the late 1960s, the orchard, raising of beef, and general farm activities were eliminated. The raising of hogs was eliminated in 1975 and poultry processing ended in 1977. These activities had formerly provided all the ham, bacon, sausage, eggs, broiler chickens, and pork chops used by Fairview. In 1969, the Board of Control was dissolved and the Mental Health Division placed under the newly created Executive Department of the state government. In 1979, the facility changed its name from Fairview Hospital and Training Center to Fairview Training Center.
Modern history
Fairview was closed on March 1, 2000. A group known as Sustainable Fairview Associates purchased of the former Fairview grounds in 2002. The land included several historic buildings. In 2004, Sustainable Fairview Associates sold of their holdings to Sustainable Development Inc. for building Pringle Creek Community, a sustainable housing development. Pierce Cottage, one of several buildings remaining on the former Fairview site, was gutted by a fire of suspicious origin in January 2010. The building had previously been slated for demolition and recycling. Two men were charged with arson in connection with the fire the next month. All remaining cottages were demolished in 2016.
Superintendents
H.E. Bickers 1908-1912 Frank E. Smith, M.D. 1913-1914 J.H. Thompson, M.D. 1914-1915 J.N. Smith, M.D. 1915-1929 R.D. Byrd 1930-1938 Horace G. Miller M.D. 1939-1944 Ray M. Waltz, M.D. 1944-1946 Irvin B. Hill, M.D. 1946-1959 Jim Pomeroy, M.D. 1960-1970 Larry W. Talkington, Ph.D. 1970-1976 Jerry E. McGee, Ed.D. 1977-1987 Linda K. Gustafson, Ph.D. 1989-1991 Rosemary C. Hennessy 1991-1995 Charles Farnham 1995-1997 Jon E. Cooper M.B.A. 1997-2000
Cottages
The cottages on the grounds housed both staff and patients. Some of the structures were named after Oregon governors, including:
Where's Molly? is a 2007 documentary about Molly Daly who was institutionalized at the Fairview Hospital and Training Center in the 1950s
is a post-apocalyptic film that features Fairview heavily as a location and contains the last footage of the center taken before its dismantling began in 2011
