Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls

Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls (formerly, Milwaukee Industrial School) was a 19th-century American industrial school in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls was the only secular reformatory institution in the state where delinquent and neglected girls could make a home.

In 1875, an act was passed providing for the establishment of industrial schools for criminal, vagrant, and deserted children. The children would be committed by the courts. Plans were made for the "Milwaukee Industrial Sschool". The Legislature of 1878 authorised $15,000 for the erection of a school building and the city supplied an 8 acres (3.2 ha) site worth $16,000 at 465 Lake Drive overlooking the Bay of Milwaukee. The school was named the Milwaukee Industrial School; but as it received inmates from every part of the state the name was changed to the Wisconsin Industrial School for Girls. Boys under the age of ten years, only, were admitted.

The school's purpose was the prevention of crime and pauperism of unfortunate girls; and the restoration of those who had fallen into bad habits, or inherited vicious tendencies. The system of discipline and education was adapted to the condition and needs of the pupils.

The necessity of establishing an industrial school, which should have for its aim and object the reformation of vagrant children, and children who were permitted to wander in the streets as beggars, and those whose condition would naturally lead to vice and crime, had been a matter of much thought to the ladies of the city of Milwaukee for many months, and various plans had been proposed and discussed for the accomplishment of that object when the winter of 1874 set in. The unusual severity of that winter and the depression of business whereby so many men and women were thrown out of employment, had the effect to increase largely the number of vagrant children in the streets of Milwaukee, and proved to be the occasion for adopting active and decisive measures.

In February, 1875, a meeting of the women of Milwaukee was called to discuss the feasibility of establishing an industrial school similar to others in operation in the U.S. and other countries. An organization was created, but was soon found to be of little practical benefit, owing to the want of cooperative legislative action on the subject. To meet this need, a bill was introduced into the legislature of the state of Wisconsin, entitled "An act authorizing Industrial Schools," which passed both houses, was duly approved by the governor, and became a law on April 5, 1875.

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