‘SYMBOL OF SEPARATENESS’

EAST VINCENT » Crews took just two days to demolish one of the last remaining symbols of an era of segregation in the region.

Not racial segregation. This was segregation of those with developmental disabilities.

The iconic water tower was dismantled nearly 30 years after the last remaining residents at the Pennhurst State School and Hospital left the facility for good Dec. 9, 1987.

The East Vincent campus, which opened in 1908, was originally built to house and sterilize residents who, at the time, were referred to as having a mental deficiency. The practice of sterilization eventually ended but the practice of segregating patients lasted much longer.

The term “mental deficiency” was changed to “mentally retarded” before it was changed again to “developmentally disabled,” said Dr. James Conroy, former director of research of the developmental disabilities center at Temple University, who was part of the Pennhurst Longitudinal Study, a team that followed and studied former Pennhurst residents for 14 years after they were released from the institution to track their quality of life.

The 750,000-gallon water tower, he said, was built because the campus was designed to be a self-sufficient agrarian community.

“In the United States there were 200 places like Pennhurst,” he said. “It was a symbol of separateness.”

Before it was taken down, officials in Harrisburg agreed it was time for the rusted and dangerous tower to come down.

Now that the water tower is finally gone, Conroy said he has mixed feelings.

On the one hand, it could be seen for a 30-mile radius and became a beautiful, familiar landmark.

“It was symbolic,” he said. “It was a thing of beauty and a

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The 750,000-gallon water tank at the Pennhurst State Hospital property has come down.

PETE BANNAN — DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA The 750,000 -gallon water tank at the Pennhurst State Hospital property was dismantled piece by piece.