Florida School For Boys
Juvenile punishment has long been in place as far as one can recall. You simply cannot have misbehaving youths placed in the same facilities as adult criminals. It would not be conducive to their rehabilitation in their young age and allow them to change course from their miscreant behavior.
With that premise in mind, The Florida Industrial School for Boys or also known as Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys was established on January 1st 1900 — to help the misguided youths of the time in the great state of Florida. During the school’s long history it, like many other centers across the country, struggled to actually provide any rehabilitation or vision for its many boys. It often found itself the center of multiple scandals and investigations continually.
The most shocking revelations that came out of this innocuous looking school — was the fact that almost many students had died on the grounds of the school, under the care of the institution. Now some of these were related to less sinister causes such as the Spanish flu (though proper sanitary conditions would have helped) or the fact that some students died in a fire in 1914 (better accessibility may have prevented these deaths) — but this only accounted for a small portion of the many deaths that occurred on campus.
In fact it was not until 2012 when University of South Florida began an anthropology survey of the school grounds that identified over 100 remains. Most of which were in unmarked graves and without any identifiers. Additionally so, again as recently as 2019 nearly two dozen more unidentifiable remains were found.
Many of these graves were found on the north side of the school. This was the area before integration the colored residents lived on. These were boys who came from families that generally that lacked access to the means and accessibilities white residents had — especially so in the deep south. Much of the time most of these residents on the north side had little family and had few folks to investigate their whereabouts if something were to happen to them.
The unfortunate abuse of the residents of the facility persisted well through the long history of the school. A building known deceivingly as the “white house” was identified as the location at which many of the residents, both colored and white, of the school were disciplined. They would be given up to 250 lashings — to the point that even if they were unconscious the blows would only continue.
Beyond this the school also had an infamous “rape room” where boys potentially as young as nine were brought by the staff of the facility. A 2010 federal survey of the school found that a not so insignificant amount of the boys (~10%) were subject to sexual abuse by faculty and another 2% or so by other residents.
You may have just noticed that the study was completed in 2010 — in fact The Florida Industrial School for Boys remained open till 2011. To the very end the school only punished and warped the minds of its many residents with unfathomable horrors. Through the early 1900s, through segregation, and well into the 21st century the school became known as a place of ill intent and horrifying experiences.
It was not until the turn of the century many of these revelations were shared to the public. Many of the former residents of this school, known as the “White House Boys” began to speak out about their troubling experiences and the abuse they underwent at the school — numbering well over 400 men primarily those between the 1950s and 1960s.
Because of their willingness to speak up and share their traumatic experiences, the school began to face increased scrutiny. It eventually shut down for good in 2011 — but following Hurricane Michael, the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office relocated temporarily to the property. A fitting use for grounds tainted by the rogue corporal punishment and abuse.
While this is a horrifying tale of how one school hid its dark past for well over century — it is unfortunately not unique. Across the country there are similar institutions that have long avoided the public eye. However, in this day and age it is more relevant than ever to listen to those who wish to share their experiences and thoughts. This is the time to address the mistakes of the past and to bring them out into the sun. Only then can we as a society learn from these mistakes and prevent them from occurring again.
Sometimes it can be difficult to speak out against oppression. Children in a school run by adults are not really in a situation where they can speak out without fear of retribution. However, the actions and words the White House Boys shared after they felt safe made a major impact on our understanding of what really went on in the school — eventually leading to its closure. With that in mind, as individuals we need to give consideration to our own safety first; being a whistleblower is an extremely high risk activity to not be taken lightly. It is important to do so smartly and to minimize risk to oneself.
If we fail to speak up and speak out at all, as challenging as it is — we only propagate the misery on to the next generation, for the next class of residents of schools as notorious as The Florida Industrial School for Boys. We only continue the cycle of hidden notoriety and abuse that drag us all down as a whole.
