Berkshire Industrial Farm

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The Berkshire industrial farm currently operates under the auspices of the New York City Administration for Children‘s Services (ACS)[1], the first agency devoted solely to serving children and their families. ACS’s mission is to ensure the safety and well-being of New York City children. As such the institution has played an historical role in the development of child advocacy in America.

Since it was founded in 1886, Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth has exemplified the leading role played by private non-profit agencies in the development of treatment services for troubled youngsters and their families. Frederick G. Burnham and his wife Catherine had a vision for helping troubled youth. On 580 acres in Canaan, New York --purchased from a local Shaker community and originally intended for use as a breeding farm for fine cattle -- the Burnhams created a refuge for what were then called wayward boys. A stable, loving environment, contact with nature and emphasis on a strong work ethic could help these boys overcome their past problems and start them on the road to better lives.

The idea that the Farm represented a family, rather than an institution, was a major factor in its success and its powerful influence on the boys' lives. Mrs. Burnham, who is credited with suggesting the initial idea for the Farm to her husband, was the presence behind this idea of family. She got to know the boys well, and often corresponded with them after they had left the Farm and embarked on new lives.

At one time, the Farm served youngsters from seven states and the District of Columbia. Due to long travel distances, differing state requirements and payment programs and the impracticality of having community-based workers in far-flung locations, services outside New York State were gradually eliminated.

Until the 1960s, boys worked on the large farm that was a part of the Berkshire campus and provided much of the food served to the boys. Economic factors and new regulations made the farming operation increasingly impractical, and it was ultimately discontinued. Today, through Berkshire's vocational training program, boys participate in job readiness classes and work in on-campus jobs in the dining hall, offices and other areas of the agency. Some also work at local restaurants and other establishments in nearby communities.

Berkshire's residential treatment center in Canaan serves some 600 boys annually from urban, suburban and rural areas throughout New York State. Typically, boys in the program have been troubled by behavioral and emotional difficulties, family problems, substance abuse and other issues. Nearly 3,000 boys and girls struggling with similar issues are served each year in community-based programs.

[edit] External links

Berkshire Farm Archives [2]

New York Statutes, Soc.Serv. § 472(e)-(q) [3]

[edit] References

Welle, D. (1992) "Things I Was Never Interested In": Labor, Moral Reform, and the Discipline of Community at the Berkshire Industrial Farm for Boys, 1886-1915. Research and Society. 5: 7-34.