Gertrude D. Eldridge House

This house was the home of Mrs. Gertrude Day Eldridge. It was located at 167 East South Street in Worthington. Mrs. Eldridge (b. 1856, d. 1931) conducted a private school for 30 years. Originally founded at Clintonville, it moved to Worthington in 1901 where it continued as a day and boarding school. The focus shifted to the education of mentally and physically disabled children in 1908.

Disability services in the US have had a varied history. Prior to the 1840's, most children with disabilties were kept at home, In 1848, an experimental school began in Boston to formally educate people with mental retardation. However, the rise of eugenics and social Darwinism in the 1870's led to the isolation of those with disabilites to protect society from 'deviants'.

The 1950's saw the decline of institutionalization as a cure, and persons with disabilities were given opportunities for education and work in the mainstream of life.Efforts continue today bring inclusiveness to all groups of society, no matter what their abilities.