| Paul A Dever State School | |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts Department of Mental Retardation | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Taunton, Massachusetts, Massachusetts, United States |
| Coordinates | 41°56′38.26″N 71°7′17.40″W / 41.9439611°N 71.1215000°W / 41.9439611; -71.1215000 |
| Services | |
| Beds | 1,400 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1952 |
| Closed | 2002 |
The Paul A. Dever State School, also known as the Myles Standish School for the Mentally Retarded is a former state school located in Taunton, Massachusetts, at the former site of Camp Myles Standish. It was turned into a school for the mentally disabled in 1959. At this time, the name was changed to the Paul A. Dever State School, after the Governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts from 1949–1953, Paul A. Dever.
The campus is about 1,200 acres (4.9 km2) and originally consists of 15 L-Shaped dormitory buildings connected by about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of tunnels along with recreational sites. Additionally, a centrally located kitchen was also built with other structures. Much of the facility closed in 1991 due to lawsuits over funding, with the entire facility closing in 2002.[1] About 45 buildings were still standing as of end-2012, but the city started tearing down much of the premises and there are only about 10 buildings left in mid-2015, most of which are in heavily deteriorated state. The building is often used for police training, which is the cause of paintball splatters inside.
September 2012- Another fire had broken out.
