Where does a child go when they are orphaned, neglected, or dependent on others for their care? If you were a boy or girl living in Wisconsin between the years of 1886 and 1976, you would likely go to the State Public School for Dependent and Neglected Children in Sparta, Monroe County. At its height of operation in the 1930s, the State School, later renamed the “Wisconsin Child Center” in 1947, was home to over 500 children and occupied 25 buildings on its campus.
In the structured environment of the Child Center, children would be provided health care, meals, education, and manual training until they were 18 years old. The goal of the institution was to place children with families outside its walls.
Thousands of children passed through the Child Center until its doors closed in 1976. For some children, going to the Child Center was the first step to a better life. For others, living at the Child Center was just another sad chapter in an already traumatic childhood.
Click here for a more in-depth history of the State School/Child Center.
Wisconsin State School/Child Center Photos
The Monroe County Local History Room & Museum has hundreds of photos in its collection of the Wisconsin State School/Child Center grounds, employees, and attendees. Some of the individuals are identified; many are not. To view the State School/Child Center photos in the MCLHR collection, click here. Prints of photos can be ordered through the website for a small fee.Obtaining Records for Attendees of the Wisconsin State School/Child Center
The Monroe County Local History Room & Museum (MCLHR) does not have the WI Child Center/State School attendee records. Because the Child Center was a state institution, those records are kept by the State of Wisconsin in Madison. MCLHR does have some institutional records and photographs (searchable on our website), but we do NOT have personal information about the children who passed through the Child Center or any adoption records.
The office to call to inquire about obtaining access to Child Center records is the WI Department of Children & Families - Adoption Records Search Program: 608-422-6928.
