Colorful History of Oakdale Presented At Library
Lapeer District Library’s Marguerite deAngeli Branch will host Oakdale History and Cemetery Tour at 11 AM on Saturday, September 1, presented by Assistant Reference Librarian for the Lapeer District Library and co-author of the book "Oakdale: The Lapeer State Home," Jan Gillis. This free presentation will begin at the library with the colorful history of the State Home and then meet at a separate location to hike a trail to Oakdale Cemetery for a tour.
Space is limited. Please call the deAngeli Library at 810-664-6971 to register or for more information.
When it opened its doors in 1895, the Lapeer State Home was known as the Michigan Home For The Feeble-Minded and Epileptic, had 3 buildings and was capable of housing up to 200 patients. Its name changed over the years until the facility closed in 1991 as Oakdale Regional Center for Developmental Disabilities. It became a city unto itself with several buildings, a farm, dentist office, hospital and post office. At its peak in 1956, the State Home encompassed hundreds of acres, housed over 4,400 patients and employed 1,500 Lapeer area residents making it one of the largest facilities of its kind.