State Home for Girls - Trenton, New Jersey

State Home for Girls, Trenton, N.J.

Terrible condition with an abundance of creasing, stains, rough edges, discoloration, pricing written on the back from more recent years, and just about anything else that would make this card unsuitable for collecting. That said, I don’t really have a specific topical niche that I collect, but if I did, it would likely be cards of institutions like this one, proper prisons, asylums, hospitals, or anywhere else with a darker history. It’s a personal interest.

I was able to find that the Home was established in 1871 as one of the first correctional institutions for juveniles. It was designed for girls ages 8-17 and aimed to prepare for a return to society in good health with the ability to earn a living. The facility was originally intended to be out in the country with Trenton a train ride away, but by the late 1910s, Trenton had expanded and engulfed the institution.

There’s an autobiography that was published in 1936, now available free online, called I Knew Them In Prison by Dr. Mary Harris that has a section about her time working as the superintendent for the State Home for Girls beginning in 1919. I definitely plan to read that section at the least, but would really love to read the book in its entirety at some point. 🤓