A former resident's story
Sat, Mar 24th, 2012
posted by yokes

Tonight I received this email from a former resident.

I read your article on the orphanage....I have looked for something, anything about this place my whole life. I was in that place from approx '47 to '51. I was about 3 1/2 when put there. My "mother" left us one day when we lived in Niagara Falls and trekked off unannounced with friends to Vegas. My father put us in the home rather than letting his 3 sisters each take one of us.
In my memory it was a horrible place run by the worst of the Catholic nuns, who turned us upside down and beat us with sled boards - I once wet the floor while kneeling down by my iron bed during evening "prayers" and I was grabbed and the bottom of my feet were hit with the board.
Once I threw up some grapefruit slices I was doled for breakfast and I was forced to eat the throwup. Or once I didn't eat my hotdog bun, and I was stood up on a chair - the nun held my nose and made me eat it. Try swallowing while someone holds you nose-next to impossible.
I was near sighted or had astigmatism and I would squint. The nuns told the other kids to hit me when I squinted.
I could recite more stories of horror - It was a horrible place and I heard it was closed down because of the wicked nuns. I have photos of when I was in there taken by relatives that visited.... There's nothing to really "honor" about this place, but I guess it beat a blank.
When I googled it, I found more "hits" - I will be anxious to read more about it.