Does anyone remember the girls reform school ???

I tryed to runaway from mitch , they cought me in a corn field, and roxanne a girl in my cottage went with me , she hid in the dirt but got caught a few days later , they locked you up for 2 weeks in the infermery , just a mattress and a can to piss in.. I was also in toledo state home for boys and girls , that wasnt a picnic either they had some strange people working there .

I remember, a debi nickname Chico, Mieshara, Shawn, Lori who had a twin but I don't remember her name, I was in the cottage closest to the school on the same side as the nurses clinic. I too remember the strange night watchman and how his keys would rattle when he checked in with the houseparents.

hi debby. i was there around 70 or 71. first i had mr and mrs jones as house parents and i think the cook was mrs denton. then i was moved to another cottage. the cook there was miss leta schlosser. there was a lot of debs. the one i remember most we nicknamed rooster.

also i was there when a news crew came out.after that we got to wear clothes from home. the nurse that ran the hospital retired. she was a mean old thing. worst memory was the day i arrived there.

If she was at Mitchellville, there may have been a hearing at the court house and an order signed by a judge stating the reason for the sentence. Try researching the court house records, which are kept forever and are probably open to the public, at the county where she lived at the time of her sentence.

Hello, I can't believe this. I was in Mitchellville in the 80's. I was there for a few years. I would love to hook up with any one that was there with me. I live in CT now. If any one is out there please please contact me. This brings back so many memories... I remember Jeff Hanover, Barb Beckley, Lee, Kit, well, I could go on and on. A few years ago we were driving across the country and went though Iowa on my way home to Decorah, and I made a special trip to Mitchellville, WOW, I could not control my emotions and cried like a baby going by there. That place had a great impact on my life.. any one out there that was there with me please contact me...Darcy at dbirchtree@yahoo.com

Sorry, I believe I was there in the 70's. Wow, that shocked me to re-read mine. I had to really think about that. I got out in 1980 I think.. sorry about that. So any one there in the 70's that remembers Darcy Birch please contact me. I think we should start a whole page on Mitchellville bring us all together. That is where I went to school.

stephanieG76 wrote:

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.

I would love to know who your mother is? I have a 17 yr old son and have not told him any thing about me being in Mitchellville. How does that make you feel about your mother? Thank you, Darcy

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.

Hi, I was there when Jeff Hanover and Eric Sage were there. I loved Jeff Hanover. He pretty much showed me how to change my life. I give him and Barb Beckley so much credit for changing my life there. Darcy Birch

Amy wrote:

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!!

Hi, Could you tell me your mothers name? I might of been there with her and would love to connect with some of the people there to see how their life is now. My life is great now, Back then was a different story.
Thank you, Darcy Birch

Annie wrote:

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.

Hi, this is Darcy Birch. I am so glad to find this site. I have been looking for years to find a way to connect with the girls and boy that were in Mitchellville with me. I was there in the mid/late 70's as well. Barb Beckley & Jeff Hanover were my counselors as well. I think I was in all 3 cottages at one time or other. Would love to know who you are. Thanks~ Darcy

Jackson wrote:

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.

Hi, So this must be a boy that was in Mitchellville huh? Cottage 3 was for boys when I was there. I remember the same people your talking about but did not know about Kathy.. I remember Bev I think. was she huge and greasy hair?? or was that the cook over there. let me know if you remember a Darcy Birch.

Yes, Cathy Cornell actually took me out on a pass and took me to a bar and bought me drinks. I was so drunk I passed out in the bathroom. She got some pot from her sister andsmoked pot with me and then took me to her house and we had sex. She and I had an affair and her husband broke into the bedroom one morning and caught us. I was only 17 yrs old, she was 25 yrs old. She also had an affair with a girl nameed Ione Young and I suppose other girls.

jackson wrote:

Yes, Cathy Cornell actually took me out on a pass and took me to a bar and bought me drinks. I was so drunk I passed out in the bathroom. She got some pot from her sister andsmoked pot with me and then took me to her house and we had sex. She and I had an affair and her husband broke into the bedroom one morning and caught us. I was only 17 yrs old, she was 25 yrs old. She also had an affair with a girl nameed Ione Young and I suppose other girls.

WOW, Ok if you were there in 73 / 74 that was a few years before me. I remember Kathy I am pretty sure. This is crazy huh. I had a guy that worked there share with me he was in love with me. His name was Craig. His dad worked in the furnace buld. Can't remember his nick name?? But I was not that kind of girl,(not there any way). Do you feel comfortable sharing your name? I don't think we were there together though.. So your a girl right?? sorry, there was boys in cottage 3 when I was sent there. thanks for your responce!

Definately no boys when I was there and thinking back it was from 74 maybe 75 to 76. Jeff Hanover was great I thought at least with me. We would play tennis if I was a high enough level for that privlege. Do you all remember the level program? Barb Beckley was my counselor as well for a time. I would love to know how some of the girls are doing. Does anyone remember kitchen duty and hamburgers, fries and choc shake on Fridays? With popcorn as a snack????LOL What's funny is I do hamburgers, Fries and shakes on football nights!!!! Guess I did learn "routine"....I'm glad this site is getting fired up and it's nice to see we did survive the mistakes of our parents and the courts stupid decisions!!Darcy it seems like I should know you, given the time frame, but after 35 plus yrs and a family who knows? I'm 49 now and have a 15 yr old son.

Annie wrote:

Definately no boys when I was there and thinking back it was from 74 maybe 75 to 76. Jeff Hanover was great I thought at least with me. We would play tennis if I was a high enough level for that privlege. Do you all remember the level program? Barb Beckley was my counselor as well for a time. I would love to know how some of the girls are doing. Does anyone remember kitchen duty and hamburgers, fries and choc shake on Fridays? With popcorn as a snack????LOL What's funny is I do hamburgers, Fries and shakes on football nights!!!! Guess I did learn "routine"....I'm glad this site is getting fired up and it's nice to see we did survive the mistakes of our parents and the courts stupid decisions!!Darcy it seems like I should know you, given the time frame, but after 35 plus yrs and a family who knows? I'm 49 now and have a 15 yr old son.

Hi, Ummm? If my memory serves me right I think I went there in 76? I was there for a total of about 3-4 yrs. I ran away a few times, got out and went back? Not that I was a bad kid at all. I hated it there and would run away when I went home for week ends.(long story and long ago) The year I went there was the same year the boys came. They were there in cottage 3 before I came there. I heard stories about when it was all girls. Yes, I remember the level system very well. I went up and down. I loved Jeff Hanover and Barb Beckly. How I would love to talk to them now. They would take me home with them, to movies, dinner when I was on a high enough level. I remember KP. I think our cooks name was Mrs Carter?? I don't remember Friday hamburgers? maybe that was your cottage? I remember french toast every Sunday morning though. This is kind of bringing back lots of memories huh? So, sorry to bring this back up but.. About Kathy? wow, she took you out and got you drunk and smoked pot and had sex?? did her husband work at Mitchellville? this is a personal question but, did you ever have sex with a girl before that? I did not experience any thing like that at all. See I was kinda one of those tough girls, or at least I thought I was. Nothing inappropriate ever happen to me there except when I asked for it. like running away and getting locked up. I could go on and on.. I wish more people would find this site and talk about their experiences there and how their life is now. I was there with a Julie Hutchenson and last I heard she was back there as an adult in prison.. that made me very sad. I left when the closed the place right before I was 18. any other names your remember?

rose wrote:

hi debby. i was there around 70 or 71. first i had mr and mrs jones as house parents and i think the cook was mrs denton. then i was moved to another cottage. the cook there was miss leta schlosser. there was a lot of debs. the one i remember most we nicknamed rooster.

I think that was cottage four. I was there in 1972-73.

No I had not had sex with a girl before Kathy Cornell. I have since transitioned to male about 10 years ago. But at that time in my life I was perceived as female adn she was my first female. I was really in love with her. Then I went on to college and she used to come up there and meet me in my dorm room and we'd have sex. She wanted to run away with me to Oregon, but I said no because I had just started college. Then one time I went to see her and this is when her husband caught us in bed together. But then I found out she had had sex wiht other girls in the institution too. Her husband was a state ombudsman for the prisons in the State of Iowa .

I want to be clear, nothing sexual ever happened to me in Mitchellville!!!! Jeff and Barb were great as well as the nurses, infact for many years I wanted to be a nurse.

Our cottage dietician was Della, she was great as well.

I googled this site because I moved backed to Iowa after 30 yrs and was curious if anyone I knew than is still around and how their lives have turned out.

One thing I am pretty sure though some people have the dates confused because I was totally released in 77 and their were no boys at Mitchellville.

n early reform school for girls was in Mitchellville. For 17 years Lorenzo and Angie Lewelling, ran the school at Mitchellville. The Lewellings were Quakers. Lorenzo was a minister. The Lewellings taught and guided the girls. Even after the girls left the school, Angie wrote to them. In the school's first 30 years, 804 girls lived at Mitchellville. Most of the girls were called "incorrigible."

Most of the girls were from poor families and had lost one or both parents through death or divorce. Sometimes when families had sudden problems, such as a lost job or a death in the family, a daughter was sent to Mitchellville because the family couldn't afford to keep her. One girl was from a wealthy family. She had tried to poison a stepparent. Most of them were 13 to 15 years old, though there were some as young as seven. Many of the girls had once lived on their own as maids or workers in button, candy or cigar factories. Three had traveled with acting groups.
Good and Bad Experiences

Reform schools in Iowa provided a place for children with problems. In some cases the young people who attended the schools had no place else to go. Some of the children who were forced to attend Iowa's reform schools had good experiences and ended up having good lives as adults. But for others the reform school experience was bad. The reform schools of the past were the beginnings of the juvenile court system in Iowa.
Adapted from original article in The Goldfinch 12, No. 2 (November 1990). Iowa City: State Historical Society of Iowa.
© State Historical Society of Iowa, Des Moines, Iowa