Juvenile facility (Montrose School or others) in Maryland

DeeDee wrote:

I know you are looking for Tammy roland. do you know WHERE she was from (Bltimore, Some county, some other city in MD etc)
Tell us everything you knew about her and maybe we can all help find her. About what age would she be now? She was straight, right? So maybe she got married and that is why you can't find her, because you do not know her married name.
Maybe if you know exactly where she lived before being at montrose you can start there, and check marriage records etc. Or, if you actually know her old neighborhood you can look up people living there on the internet and start calling around.
I am guessing that if you were there in the 80s that she might now be in her 40s or early 50s. Dies that sound right?
Also, you can just look up people with the same last name who may still live in the area she was from, and call them. They might be relatives.
I am sure we would all (on this forum) be glad to help you find her, if we knew a little more about her.

Her parents would come down from NYC to visit her. She was of African American extraction, as was her mother. Her step dad was of Italian derivation. She had gotten in trouble while staying with a Maryland relative...and Yes, she is straight, so she is probably married and/or divorced/widowed. She would be in her late forties now. I am 46. She may be 47 or 48. I don't know where to begin.

DeeDee wrote:

I know you are looking for Tammy roland. do you know WHERE she was from (Bltimore, Some county, some other city in MD etc)
Tell us everything you knew about her and maybe we can all help find her. About what age would she be now? She was straight, right? So maybe she got married and that is why you can't find her, because you do not know her married name.
Maybe if you know exactly where she lived before being at montrose you can start there, and check marriage records etc. Or, if you actually know her old neighborhood you can look up people living there on the internet and start calling around.
I am guessing that if you were there in the 80s that she might now be in her 40s or early 50s. Dies that sound right?
Also, you can just look up people with the same last name who may still live in the area she was from, and call them. They might be relatives.
I am sure we would all (on this forum) be glad to help you find her, if we knew a little more about her.

She and I used to do a duet of Dionne Warwick's "Say a Little Prayer For You".:)

Well, when you say her parents came down from NYC, do you mean MANHATTAN or could it have been one of the other bouroughs? Yes, that will make it a little more difficult because of the sheer number of people there.

Have you tried checking mariage records in all the borouhs?(Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The bronx etc? As well as at the NY state archives?)

If she was married in new York there might be a record at one of those locations and you could at least get a starting point, and possiblty her married name and the address at which she lived when she got married.

Also, have you tried posting on sites like genealogy.com ? It's possible that someone in her fmily is interested in family research and will see your post. That is how I located my long-lost cousin, who I had not seen in more than 30 years!

Also, I would certainly post on ALL the social websites as well as sites like forums in the NY area, loke this forum on TOPIX, there are similar forums all over the country.

Can you actually go to NY? Or do you have any friends/family there who would be willing to do some on the spot research? Or, maybe there would be someone who woul be willing to exchange research in NY for research where you live, and they could help you.

Also, try the NY public library, see if they have city directories for the years during which Tammy would hav been a teenager. I know that many library directory holdings are sparse, but you never know what will turn up. In fact, I would start checking city directories at about 1975, as that would probably be about when she started school.

Do you know if she was Catholic?(sice her step-fater was Italian she may have been) If so, try all the Catholic schools you can find.

One more thing you might try is calling the children and famikly services in MD and see if anyone would be willing to look up her records and at least tell you through what COURT she was sent to Montrose. That might give you a clue as to where she lived at the time. I am sure the records are confidential, but you never know when you might find a person willing to give out one little bit of info.

If I come up with any more ideas I'll pass them on.

good luck

Thanx! For everything. I can't go to NYC, can't afford it. But I can do alot of this via cell phone/internet. Tammy sang like an angel. We both did. Tammy taught me the value of defending myself. My life would of been much different without her. She was truly my best friend.

I was very upset to have been placed there. My mother was crazy, to say the least.,,as she still is now. She lied to police to have me put in lock-up and my father went along with it...to keep the heat off of himself. Unfortunately, both had never picked up a book to learn how to be good parents. I went to court and the judge and my public defender both were not at all interested in what I had to say. Nevermind that my mother and father had been physically and mentally abusive throughtout my youth... I was guilty without the possibiity of being innocent. Staff at Montrose were as understanding as they could be, but some of the girls did belong there. I remember the staff psych physician asking me to look at ink prints of butterflies or something of the sort...but never once had he asked me what my view of things were. He seemed like someone working a 9a-5p job who probably managed to obtain a degree with a "D"- average. I had never hit my mother, like she had said. She wanted what she wanted and she got it. I was incarcerated because they didn't know how to handle a child growing up. There was no love, only threats and competition. It would have been nice to have one person listen. I had been an "A" student with perfect attendance at one time, but everyone has their breaking point. There needs to be more help for troubled-youths. Some parents are the cause. Much more to the story...most wouldn't believe.

to 1986:

I know how it was when I was there. It couldn't have gotten any better. You were there just before it closed. I was just a girl of 15. I totally understand...

I would like to know who the superintendent was when you all were there.

When I was there Miss margaret Frederick as the superintendent. Her "second in command" was Miss Mary Rowland.

I don't know about any other people in charge. But when I was there it was not really so bad, everyone was treated well, and I NEVER heard any of the horror stories I have hears here from people who were there in later years.

I do know that just before it was closed there was the death of one of the "students". I have a copy of some info about that which I located in the library of the University of Baltimore.

But I'd like to know about any other people in charge during the times that things got really bad at Montrose.

Lisa, I tried to contact the names I found, but they were kind of rude and do not want to be contacted. That does not mean it is not the girl you are looking for, maybe that they are NOT the right people and that means looking further.

historian wrote:

I am working on a project that may lead to a possible book. I am interested in hearing from anyone who was EVER at Montrose School (a juvenile facility closed in the 80's) or anyone who knew someone who was there.
The data I am gathering has to do with the treatment of juveniles at that (and other ) facilities in Maryland, and I would welcome hearing from anyone ever in any juvenile facility that housed FEMALES only, starting in the 50's and continuing through to today.
I do NOT need to know your name or anything that is too personal. I am only interested in general treatment of juveniles in such facilities, and how the treatment has changed over the years. I would like an email contact so that I can send a questionnaire, and to make futher email contact if more data is needed. However I do NOT need to have any more personal info for this project. It is to do with GENERAL information only.
Thanks

My sister Cheryls was in Montrose years ago with bad experiences.

My sister Cheryl was in Montrose back in the late 60's early 70's. She had many bad experiences. Im sure she would like to share her past with all. Her email is nocar8@aol.com.

When I was there Ms. Frederick and Ms. Rowland were in charge also. Also, I was there in 1964 through 1966 when Cheryl was there. I will email her,

I was there twice. IN '84, and '85. One thing I'll never forget is the smell of the ink they used to stamp the "property of" on the towels. back then they checked you in at the building that held the infirmatory and the seg cells. then they stripped you showered you, and moved you to Noyes cottage. from there you were sent to a permenant housing like frederick, or williams, or wilson or what ever. I didnt read too many posts I was there so I can imagine what people had to saw. I excaped both times I was sent there. Once while walkingto the chow hall I just ran. the other was in the gym where I used a flag pole to bust out the fencing that covered the window in a bathrom that was in the corner of the stage durring a "social". I saw everything that went on in that camp. Everything from staff assaulting kids to kids sexualy assauling other kids. That place was completely screwed up.People will always remember where they were when the space shuttle blew up. I do i was in the rec room at wilson cottage fighting for my life being jumped for my tennis shoes when it happened. probably the only thing that saved me that day. I was also in just about every other juvinile detention , home or program that the djs had to offer back then. didnt do much good. Ended up in prison at the age of 15 for the next 17 years I'm 40 now, and montrose still fucks with my head time to time.
ericspokeraddy@hotmail.com

My grandfather was caretaker their back in the 40s and early 50s. My father was in the Maryland Training School for boys in the 50s and 60s. They werent the best places.

I have proof that he worked their, him and his children lied their. My email is bennie2429@hotmail.com

Hi everybody I'm back, like the proverbial bad penny. Grandkid lost my laptop!!!! Took awile to but ano. Also my Dad is really ill and not close. I was there all summer and he has no email (no cable TV, ROTARY DIAL PHONE, 1 plug in phone jak w/1 touchtone phone!!! Next time I go down I'm getting fios so I can stay in touch w/the outside world!!!!! It's weird that there doesn't seem to be @ Montrose fr late 60's. From what I read the place really went BAD sometime in the 70's. Like somebody wrote when I was there most of us were there for truancy, running away, shoplifting but most really didn't talk abt why. I do remember that I think what must have been the 1st murderer came while I was there bcuz everybody was abuzz!!
Guttmacher was oreintation(?) cottage @ the time and I was in Meyer & we did kitchen duty all the time 4 Guttmacher bcuz newbies cldn't. She had supposedly killed her parents. I saw her bcuz I had kitchen duty and served her table. I left very shortly after that, I don't even know what cottage she went to. You know I said there were 2 sides (campusues)when I was there divided by age But I don't know if Guttmacher was orientation for both sides. I wish somebody from around my time was on here to help my memory.

Sorry. I was there oct 68 to apr 69 and have told my story previosly

Guttmacher was orientation cottage duing my time. I have no real bad memoris other than I was surprised when my baby sister was admitted. I went to school, worked in the farm in the summer, earned the right to go off campus. I loved Mr. Gholson and Mr. Meyers as teachers. Old lady named Mrs. Yingling was history teacher. She wore a hearing aid. I learned a lot from her. The class use to whisper and she tried to hear what was being said. We really never fought each other. We tried to do our time and make the best of it to get out. I had my devious times but it did not last long.

Does anyone remember a kid named Melba there? She was there from 83-85. That's my kid sister and I been looking for her for awhile.

Lisasimmons29@gmail.com

I worked at Montrose School as an assistant teacher in 1980. I am updateing my resume and came upon this website (even though I am a few years late in posting any info for your book. At any rate, I only worked at Montrose (maybe 6 months). I loved the residents, but I couldn't work with some of the "seedy" characters that were supposed to be educators. After I left, I remember hearing that the teacher I worked with was arrested for prostitution. I think the head master (or whatever he thought he was) may have been involved or indicted. It made me sad to see these young people so deprived of getting an education.

i'm looking for a girl named leah rogers who was there with me around 1964 we broke out together and we were the first not to get caught if your still around email me at peggys159@gmail .com

I has a short stay in Montrose School For Girls in the early to mid 70's. I remember the first room I was in it was DARK and unfriendly. I was forced to shower and change cloths. I remember the smoke breaks, hahahaha in the hall on the bench. I remember movie night. Since I was just temporary there I didn't really get a dorm/house. I slept on a cot with other girls in the same room, it was like a kid going to camp. It was hot there in the summer. I met a wonderful girl there named Jackie ( we shared the same name ) I am told she had a baby girl after getting out. I lost track of her once I was removed from the school, would love to find her again, just don't know her last name. I remember two girls trying to escape and got cut pretty badly with barbed wire. It was in Montrose that I read " The Cross and The Switch Blade and gave me heart to Jesus. As I said I was there only 37 days, would have been 30 but my bio mother didn't show up for court and I had to go back to the school and wait an extra week for my hearing. I was never returned to her home, thank the Good Lord, I was placed in Foster Care with a very good loving mother and had a lot of kids/teens to hang with.. I was 14 yrs. God Is GOOD!