Does anyone remember the girls reform school ???

I would like to find out about some of my old girl friends and also Bev. and other staff to see how they are doing,

I am trying to research (for Personal) the old Mitchellville Girls' Reform School. Can't find a web link, maybe someone can help me out?! Doesn't seem as though there is anything that is available to be found.
Help, Annie

I remember the school back in the mid 70's

At one time (so Iv'e heard) the Iowa Correctional Facility For Women, ICIW was a girls' school. And one of the men's prisons was a "twin" School for boys. There is a very old graveyard at ICIW supposedly from the late 1800"s. I am curios about this and it wiuld be interesting to know if anyone knows about this.Please Reply;
Ann Carter (Anny)

Don't know about any "twin" facility other than Eldora Boys Training School in Eldora Iowa. Mitchellville in the 70's was real old small town. You may try checking with some of the churches if there is more than one, they may be able to point you in the right direction for research.

My mom was at the reform school in Mitchellville in the 70's, she has told me so many stories of her crazy times there.

What year was she there?

Annie wrote:

What year was she there?

I would imagine, either '74 or '75, her name is Kathy Clabaugh, did you know her?

It's possible, where was she from? Ask her what cottage she was in or who her counselors were. I'm sure she remembers, Jeff Hanover and Eric Sage.

My mom was in there in the early 70's. It wasn't a very good time in her life. She has told me some things. She said she remembers the counselors,Sage and Hanover. She claims the staff never helped her. She ran off from there a couple times, got caught and brought back. My mom is a 52 year old who has had 6 kids, and has lived a good and healthy adult life. My dad adores her. She doesn't feel shame anymore for what happened to her in her childhood,but she did for a long time. All she really did was run away from home because she was sexually abused. She never told anyone about the abuse back then and only came to terms with it in middle age,. From what I hear the place was rough and was for girls who were considered delinqent. I can Not image my mom going thru that!!

Thanks for sharing that very personal note. I was there in the 70's as well. No it really didn't help at all and my family regrets going down that road as well. I'm glad your mom has been one that life turned out good. I too can be thankful for the life I have made for myself. I often wander about some of the girls and how they are doing. It's difficult to find any of them because I'm sure they have married and moved on but not forgotten Mitchellville. I was there for running away from home, not drugs or anything else bad just running away. We were in with girls who had committed armed robberies, murder and all kinds of bad things. I'm almost 49 so your mom is a few years older than me. You can tell her I was in cottage 3 (I think)it was the cottage where Rec Center was held once a week where we played pool and hung out with the other cottage girls. My counselors were Barb Beckly and Art Dutcher.

I'm glad to have chatted with you and tell your mom hello.

I was in Mitchellville School for Girls from October or November 1973 to June 1974. Really I suppose some girls were "rough" but really back then running away was considered a "crime" for kids. They locked up status offenders. Mostly those girls there had a rough childhood and back then child protection law had just come into being. So kids were warehoused in places like this. I cannot remember what the cottage was I was in but Bev Gross was the counselor. There was also a security guard there Kathy COrnell who had an "affair" with myself and alot of other residents. Yes Jeff Hanover He was a sleeze actually as I saw him in a bar many years later and I think he took advantage of alot of residents there as well.

I remeber Kathy Cornell. I had no idea any of that stuff was going on. Mr Delmege however I always thought was creepy (Civics teacher). It amazes me today that Mitchellville even existed. Surprised to hear that you saw Jeff H. in a bar, he was very religous when I was there. Did you know a counselor named Irmatrude? Back then she was an elderly lady? Have you kept in touch with any of the other girls? I just recently moved back to Iowa, left at 17 and moved to Florida. Now I am back after 30 yrs and Mitchellville seems a constant reminder.

Annie wrote:

It's possible, where was she from? Ask her what cottage she was in or who her counselors were. I'm sure she remembers, Jeff Hanover and Eric Sage.

She said she was in the middle cottage. Apparently while living at Mitchellville, her and another girl ran away and while hitchhiking to California they were in a really bad car accident and the girl was violently killed.
My mom is mentally ill with multiple disorders. I don't think it was Mitchellville or anything, mostly due to drugs back then.
She must have been there in '73-'74 because she was pregnant with me in '75 and my grandmother sent her to live in a foster home until she married my dad, who turned out to be a puke.
I turned out just fine though, no thanks to the system and foster homes of my own. I just knew I would never be like my parents.

Hi Stephanie,
I saw you responded to a reply I sent to Amy, so I am a bit confused. Are you Kathy's daughter? Who was the other girl that was in the crash?

Annie wrote:

Hi Stephanie,
I saw you responded to a reply I sent to Amy, so I am a bit confused. Are you Kathy's daughter? Who was the other girl that was in the crash?

I am the daughter of Kathy Clabaugh. The girl that died was Debbie Briggs.
I guess these threads can be confusing sometimes.

Nancy Bass wrote:

I would like to find out about some of my old girl friends and also Bev. and other staff to see how they are doing,

nancy, are you still looking for information?

There are currently 6 headstones left in the graveyard, all from the late 1800's. If i remember correctly they were all 15-17 years of age and the deaths were fairly close on the dates as if from some kind of epidemic. I had pictures of the headstones to research with but lost them when my computer crashed. I have been told by a person who worked there for many years that at one time there were as many as 25 headstones from infants through the ages mentioned. I am also trying to research this.

i was wondering if any one has any info on the girls training home back around 1947-1950 era. i know my mom was there sometime in late 40's but do not any other info on the whole facility. why she was there. she has passed on so not able to get much info from any family, seems to a bit of a taboo to talk about back in those days.. my siblings & i are wondering if girls were ever sent there due to being pregnant. we have heard a few family rumors our mom went there & she also had a baby back then.trying to get any info on the place in that era of time..

I was in mitch for a couple of years , in the 70s , yes there were perverts there , I remember Ione , rose , nancy , debi , and loretta , and a strange nite man..