Deaf Historical Sites in the National Register of Historic Places

By Jerrod J. Grill, Archives Technician in the Digitization Division at the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland

A little about Jerrod – Born deaf and bilingual in American Sign Language and written English, Jerrod is a graduate of the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick, MD. While attending Gallaudet University in Washington, DC, he began his research and work as a student assistant at the Gallaudet University Archives. As one of the large collections related to deaf people and sign languages, the archives were where he developed his deep knowledge of deaf history and archives. After graduation, he continued working there as a staff member for over four years before joining NARA. Here is the article in which he shares his knowledge of deaf history as it relates to the series of historic places.

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The month of September is recognized as National Deaf Awareness Month, a time to celebrate the deaf people, their cultures, and their languages while also raising awareness about the experiences of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals. It’s a period for promoting inclusivity, advocating for equal access and rights, and celebrating the rich diversity within the community. The month culminates in International Week of the Deaf, which typically occurs during the last full week of September. 

For the reader unfamiliar with deafness and deaf people in historical records, you may notice the archaic and offensive terms such as “deaf and dumb,” “deaf mute,” and “asylum.” While these terms were used in the past, they are now considered outdated and inaccurate. Additionally, many records simply identify individuals and places as “deaf,” without providing details about the degree of their deafness or their cultural identity. Historically, educational approaches for deaf students are categorized into two main philosophies: oralism, which focuses on speech and lip-reading, and manualism, which centers on the use of sign language. The ongoing debate between these two philosophies has been a long-standing battle, which has been further shaped by the innovative technology to assist deaf and hard-of-hearing people today. For this article, “deaf” is used as a broad term to encompass the diverse experiences of people with various degrees of deafness, their cultural identities, and the different communication methods and languages they use. 

Deaf schools, churches, clubs, associations, and nursing homes are popular places for many deaf people. These places are hubs for deaf people to thrive as a culturally and linguistically minority. The presence of these places has been crucial in fostering a strong sense of community and identity. For instance, deaf schools have been instrumental in educating generations of deaf students and maintaining the American Sign Language (ASL) and other means of communication. Additionally, local deaf clubs have historically served as social centers where deaf people can share their experiences and languages openly. These places allow deaf people to find value in their lives and build communities free from the influence of medical ideologies that view them as impaired.

A search of the National Register of Historic Places series for the term “deaf” yields a substantial number of results in both the text content and metadata. From this large set, there are approximately 40 of the most relevant files, which represent significant historical sites related to the deaf community. When examining deaf historical sites, it’s worth noting that some are preserved because of their historical importance, while others are preserved for their architectural significance. The following article features eight historical sites that I have curated. 

When using information from these records, it’s important to be aware that the content may contain inaccuracies. All quotes in this article are taken directly from the original files. Any additions or edits I have made for clarity are indicated by brackets [ ] in quotes.

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Bolling Hall: The First Attempt to Establish a Deaf School

In Goochland County, Virginia, the Bolling Hall [National Archives Identifier (NAID) 41680979] is the historic home where the Bolling family started the formal education for their deaf children in 1812, before the American School for the Deaf in Hartford, Connecticut was established successfully in 1817. Considering the first attempt to establish the deaf school in the United States, the school was opened and closed intermittently with several relocations until it closed permanently between 1815 to 1819.

“The Bolling Hall lands were first acquired in 1714 by John Bolling, Sr., son of the immigrant Robert Bolling, and a grandson of Jane Rolfe, daughter of Pocohontas. John Bolling Sr.’s grandson William inherited the land in 1757, and it was he who built the earliest portion of the present house around the third quarter of the eighteenth century. William Bolling married his first cousin, Mary Randolph, daughter of Richard Randolph of Curles. Two of the children of this union: William Albert (born [1799]) and Mary (born 1809), were born deaf. Congenital deafness had appeared in the Bolling family before, more particularly in the children of William Bolling’s uncle Thomas Bolling of Cobbs in Chesterfield County who had his children educated in Edinburgh under the direction of Thomas [Braidwood], a noted pioneer educator of the deaf. Since William Bolling was unwilling to send his children abroad, he was pleased to learn in 1812 that John [Braidwood], grandson of the famous teacher, announced his intentions of establishing a school for the deaf in Philadelphia. The school failed to develop so Bolling brought [Braidwood] to Bolling Hall where [Braidwood] taught not only Bolling’s deaf children but his hearing children as well. [Braidwood] proved to be such a gifted teacher that parents of other deaf children requested that their children be allowed to come to Bolling Hall and learn under him. Bolling was unwilling to turn Bolling Hall into an institution, but consented to convert the old house at Cobbs, which he inherited from his mother, into a formal school. Cobbs then became the first school for the education of the deaf in the United States.”

“Bolling Hall is thus significant for its early associations with the deaf education in this county. It is also the earliest remaining house connected with this important early Virginia family since Cobbs was destroyed by fire in 1829. Bolling Hall further survives as one of the few remaining colonial plantation houses of the upper James region; one that retains much of its original fabric, as well as its unspoiled rural setting.”

North Carolina School for the Deaf Historic District: A Place of Progressive Education

The school for deaf and blind children was established in Raleigh, North Carolina, on May 1, 1845, with seven students. The education was emphasized through industrial training such as printing, woodwork, and shoemaking. During the Civil War, students printed currency for the Confederacy. After the war, the school faced a period of decline under political appointees and people who lacked experience in deaf and blind education. In 1891, the state voted to separate the deaf and blind students, relocating the school for the deaf to Morganton, with Dr. Edward M. Goodwin (1859-1937) as the new superintendent. In 1893, the school created a teacher training program, which was later affiliated with Lenoir Rhyne College and Appalachian State University

“In the 1890s, this represented a progressive departure from the standard practices for special education. The school was a great success and was nationally known and emulated for its modern campus and progressive teaching methods. The campus itself includes several buildings of architectural significance, the most notable of which is Augustus Bauer’s high-Victorian Main Building. [NAID 47718271]”

“The North Carolina School for the Deaf Historic District [NAID 47717358] is located on a portion of the North Carolina School for the Deaf campus, south of the Central Business District off Fleming Drive. The properties included were constructed between ca. 1891 and ca. 1939, and range from the massive Main Building to classroom buildings, to staff housing. A large number of modern buildings have been constructed on the campus; however, these are generally located behind the historic buildings preserving the character of the early campus arranged around the expansive lawn. Of the nineteen properties in the district, fourteen or seventy-four percent are contributing. The district is significant in the Social/Humanitarian history of the state as the state-supported school for education of the deaf and for the school’s reliance upon progressive theories of education.”

Pilgrim Lutheran Church for the Deaf of Greater Kansas City and Parsonage: A Church of Silence

Located in Kansas City, Missouri, the Pilgrim Lutheran Church for the Deaf of Greater Kansas City and Parsonage [NAID 63819311] provided religious services and social opportunities for deaf people until its closing in 1987. Constructed between 1941 and 1942, the church is “a unique local example of a historic religious building and associated parsonage constructed for a hearing-impaired congregation. At the time of its construction. Pilgrim Chapel was one of less than ten churches constructed nationwide by the Missouri Synod of the Lutheran Church specifically to serve the deaf community. The Missouri Synod’s Deaf Mission trained pastors in sign language to bring worship opportunities to an often disenfranchised, deaf segment of the population. The Mission provided the deaf with a unique and stimulating setting for religious devotion, learning and social interaction that often was not available in the community-at-large. Established for nearly forty years, at the time of the church dedication, the Pilgrim Chapel congregation included nearly 200 individuals.”

Charles Thompson Memorial Hall: A Gift to All Deaf Minnesotans

Designed by a deaf architect, Olof Hanson, the Charles Thompson Memorial Hall [NAID 93202726] was built in 1916, located at 1824 Marshall Avenue at the southwest corner of the intersection of Fairview and Marshall avenues in St. Paul, Minnesota. As the only Deaf club on the National Register of Historic Places, Thompson Hall has been serving as a critical resource and meeting place for Minnesota’s Deaf community for over a century.

“Through the generosity and vision of Margaret Thompson, the deaf community of Minnesota was given a unique gift. Offered as a memorial to her husband, Charles Thompson Memorial Hall was established as a welcoming place for all deaf persons, without exclusive membership rolls or dues. With the design talents of Olof Hanson (1862-1931), the clubhouse would meet the unique needs of the specific community for whom it was built and continues to serve.”

“As a memorial, Margaret Thompson chose to use a portion of her inheritance to erect a clubhouse for the use and benefit of all deaf Minnesotans, although any deaf person, regardless of race, religion, or politics, from any location would be made welcome. Thompson’s gift paid the $30,000 for the construction of a finely built structure, as well as an additional $45,000 for an endowment to fund its operations and maintenance. Upon its dedication on November 5, 1916, the clubhouse built especially for deaf people was declared to be ‘the only building of its kind in the world, owned exclusively by the deaf and planned and built solely for their benefit.’”

Gallaudet College Historic District: A Torch of American Sign Language and Deaf Culture

On April 8, 1864, President Abraham Lincoln signed an enabling act authorizing the Columbia Institution for the Instruction of the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind to confer college degrees. Named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet (1787-1851), Gallaudet University is a private federally chartered university in Northeast Washington, DC, serving deaf and hard-of-hearing students in the higher education setting. Gallaudet College became Gallaudet University when President Ronald Reagan signed the Education of the Deaf Act (Public Law 99-371) on August 4, 1986. The university holds a significant place in history due to two pivotal moments: the groundbreaking research that proved American Sign Language (ASL) as a legitimate language in the 1960s-1970s, and the 1988 Deaf President Now (DPN) movement, a part of the disability rights movements in the 1980s to 1990s.

The historic district [NAID 117692168 and 117691813] at Gallaudet University is located on a 14-acre section of the 99-acre campus with 14 historical buildings. The original campus design was planned by the 19th-century landscape architecture and planning firm, Frederick L. Olmsted (1822-1903) and his partner, Calvert Vaux (1824-1895). Gallaudet University’s romantic informal plan was one of the firm’s earliest collegiate works. Frederick C. Withers (1828-1901) designed most of the buildings in the historic district. The architectural style of the buildings is High Victorian Gothic, which makes them unique. One of the buildings is the President’s House [NAID 117692426], which is the official residence of the university president. Olof Hanson, a Gallaudet alumnus and one of America’s first Deaf architects, designed the Dawes House. The building, which has since been renamed òkànkwèpihëna tëtpi (Circle of Signers) in 2024, is notable as it is the only building on campus designed by a Deaf architect. The historic district includes a memorial statue of Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, the co-founder of the American School for the Deaf (ASD), and Alice Cogswell, the first student of the ASD. The bronze statue was sculpted by Daniel Chester French (1850-1931), known for his monumental statue of President Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.

Volta Bureau: For the Increase and Diffusion of Knowledge Relating to the Deaf

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) is well known as the inventor of the telephone, but he’d rather be remembered as a teacher of the deaf. Born to a deaf mother and a hearing father who was an elocutionist, Bell married a deaf woman. He was involved in deaf education by advocating for oral education, emphasizing the importance of day schools instead of residential schools, integrating deaf and hearing children in the classroom, and abating the intermarriage of deaf people. Bell’s success in promoting oralism in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries has caused much hatred from the signing deaf community for its harmful impact on their culture still felt today.

The French government awarded Bell the Volta Prize with 50,000 French francs for his invention of the telephone in 1880. Bell used the prize money to establish the Volta Fund and the Volta Laboratory. In 1887, Bell created the Volta Bureau as an instrument “for the increase and diffusion of knowledge relating to the Deaf.”

“At first the Bureau was housed in his father’s residence at 1527 35th Street. The Bureau, intended to serve as a center of information relating to all classes and ages of deaf and hard of hearing persons, worked in close cooperation with the American Association for the Promotion of the Teaching of Speech to the Deaf (known since 1956 as the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf), organized in 1890, of which Bell was elected president and to which he gave more than $300,000. The Volta Bureau officially merged with this Association in 1908.”

“Soon the work involved in the Volta Bureau had increased to such a volume that Bell made plans to erect a structure to specifically house the institution. In 1893 he built the neoclassic yellow brick and sandstone structure for the Volta Bureau [NAID 117691903] at 1537 35th Street, which still stands on the corner of Volta Place and 35th Street, opposite to his father’s house and Bell’s carriage house laboratory.” On May 8, 1893, 12-year-old Helen Keller (1880-1968), a well-known deaf-blind advocate, broke ground during the ceremony for the construction of the new Volta Bureau. The Volta Bureau continues its work in servicing the deaf people and houses the Alexander Graham Bell Association for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC.

Ohio Home for the Aged and Infirm Deaf: The Rise and Fall of A Deaf Nursing Home

The Ohio Home for Aged and Infirm Deaf was founded by the Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association in 1896 to provide a charitable living space for deaf people who were elderly or otherwise unable to care for themselves. A Board of Managers was established to oversee the project, which secured a property at Central College in Westerville, Ohio. The facility consisted of two buildings and fifteen acres of land, with an accommodation capacity for 36 residents. Later, the Alumni Association purchased another 156 acres for farming to feed the residents and sell the products to raise money for the Home. The Home operated as a non-sectarian institution, providing a community for deaf people to connect with each other and receive religious services in sign language. The Home was primarily funded by charitable contributions. In addition to the efforts of the men of the Alumni Association, a separate group called the Ladies’ Aid Society of Columbus played a crucial role in raising funds and furnishing the rooms in the Home.

“This substantial 3 story brick building [NAID 71985250] with a hipped, slate covered roof was constructed in 1875… This building was built as part of the Central College Academy which was founded in 1842. The building was sold in 1895 to the [8th] Ohio Deaf-Mute Reunion and is part of an enormous complex owned and operated by the Ohio School for the Deaf Alumni Association. The four buildings mentioned are all located on Sunbury Road. Together they represent the important influences of religion and education on the development of the village.”

In the 1970s, new state regulations on fire safety and the prohibition of mandatory labor made the building non-compliant and financially unsustainable. As a result, the home was relocated and merged with the Columbus Colony Housing. The building was subsequently used by various organizations until the Alumni Association sold it to Central College Presbyterian Church in 2008. The building, named Fairchild Hall, has remained vacant since 1995, with no current plans for its future.

California Schools for the Deaf and the Blind at Berkeley: A Campus That Was Home

From 1867 to 1980, the California Schools for the Deaf and Blind [NAID 123858347] occupied a 50-acre site in the City of Berkeley. One of the first residential schools for the deaf in the western United States, it has developed a strong reputation for providing education and fostering a vibrant deaf community, playing a crucial role in the lives of deaf Californians.

“457,000 square feet of existing buildings — classrooms, dormitories, auditoria, dining facilities, gymnasia, swimming pools and a variety of landscaped outdoor areas and playing fields. Located at the foot of the Berkeley hills, approximately 1/4 mile southeast of the main campus of the University of California, Berkeley, the site has provided a low density use in a quiet park-like environment within one of the most densely populated cities in California… The buildings have red tile roofs, light colored walls, and Hispanic details, including arched openings, miradors, circular and quatrefoil windows, metal grills, perforated walls, cantilevered exterior staircases, balconies, interior tilework, coffered ceilings and hanging lamps. All the buildings are of reinforced concrete construction… The School for the Deaf occupies 28 buildings, which make up approximately 3/4 of the site and front primarily on Dwight Way and Warring Street. The construction of these buildings occurred generally within two periods, 1929-1931 and 1948-1959. Most of the buildings are connected by tile roofed loggias to form a complex of buildings arranged around courtyards. The School for the Blind consists of 12 buildings, located on the southern 1/4 of the site and front primarily along Derby Street. Generally the buildings were constructed either during the period of 1924-1930 or 1940-1948.”

A combination of factors contributed to relocating the schools from Berkeley to Fremont. The buildings on campus could not be maintained up to the minimum standards of the building code. The final decision was prompted by the threat of the Hayward Fault and the passage of the California Senate Bill № 689 in 1972. There were controversial issues and tensions between community members, state officials, and educational leaders about the relocation from 1972 to 1980. After the schools moved out, there was a debate between the University of California, Berkeley, and the community, which led to the campus being divided. The campus was named after Clark Kerr, in honor of the first chancellor of the University of California, Berkeley. The Clark Kerr campus currently operates as a student residence hall complex.

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Of the sites mentioned, some have preserved their original purpose, like the Charles Thompson Memorial Hall, which continues to serve the Minnesota deaf community, and the North Carolina School for the Deaf continues to provide education for deaf students. Others, such as the Ohio Home for the Aged and Infirm Deaf and the California Schools for the Deaf and Blind, no longer house their institutions due to several reasons. Despite these changes, the historical places remain as tangible links to the past, serving as powerful reminders of the deaf heritage and the persistent efforts of deaf people to build and maintain their own communities.

Deaf historian and advocate Douglas D. Bahl (1950-2014) points out, “History shapes and enriches our lives. It enriches our Deaf Community, too, because history doesn’t live in the pages of a book or in the words on a bronze plaque. It’s in the schools for the deaf, the deaf clubhouses, and the churches that give our Deaf Community its unique identity. They chronicle the growth, character, and culture of our Deaf Community.” Bahl points out another reason, “Just as the letters and photographs of our deaf people tell us something about the past, so do the buildings they left behind. Their schools, churches, clubhouses, and houses help us imagine what life was like for the people who built and use them. By preserving those buildings, we are preserving our own history.”

While the National Register of Historic Places includes significant deaf historical sites, the larger collection contains over 40 most relevant files and a considerable number of results related to deaf history, indicating the existence of many more sites that hold historical value for the deaf community. Below is the list of featured deaf historical sites, it’s important to recognize that this is not an exhaustive list.

More Deaf Historical Sites:

• Arkansas SP Parnell Hall (Arkansas School for the Deaf) [NAID 26143561]
• Georgia MPS Georgia School for the Deaf Historic District [NAID 93206022]
• Indiana SP Indiana School for the Deaf [NAID 132003904]
• Kentucky NHL Jacobs Hall, Kentucky School for the Deaf [NAID 123849121]
• Maryland SP Hessian Barracks (Maryland School for the Deaf) [NAID 106777344]
• Michigan SP Superintendent’s Cottage (Michigan School for the Deaf) [NAID 25339294]
• Minnesota SP Administration Building–Girls’ Dormitory, Minnesota School for the Deaf [NAID 93202772]
• Minnesota SP Allen, W. Roby, Oral Home School [NAID 93202774]
• Minnesota SP Noyes Hall, State School for the Deaf [NAID 93202830]
• Missouri SP Central Institute for the Deaf Clinic and Research Building [NAID 63821046]
• Montana SP Montana Deaf and Dumb Asylum [NAID 71976088]
• New Mexico MPS Connor Hall (New Mexico School for the Deaf) [NAID 77846790]
• New Mexico MPS Superintendent’s Residence (New Mexico School for the Deaf)  [NAID 77846794]
• New York SP Dodge, Lillian Sefton, Estate (Mill Neck Manor School for the Deaf) [NAID 75319087]
• North Carolina MPS Ephphatha Church [NAID 47717765]
• North Carolina SP North Carolina School for the Blind and Deaf Dormitory [NAID 47722572]
• Ohio SP Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb [NAID 71988493]
• Pennsylvania SP Pennsylvania Institute for the Deaf and Dumb [NAID 71997278]
• Pennsylvania SP Philadelphia College of Art (Former site of the Pennsylvania School for the Deaf) [NAID 71997086]
• South Carolina SP Walker Hall (South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind) [NAID 118998598]
• South Dakota SP South Dakota School for the Deaf [NAID 93205456]
• Tennessee MPS Tennessee School for the Deaf Historic District [NAID 135816896]
• Tennessee SP Old Knoxville City Hall (Former site of the Tennessee School for the Deaf) [NAID 135818885]
• Utah MPS Utah School for the Deaf and Blind Boys’ Dormitory [NAID 72000723]
• Virginia SP Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind [NAID 41683831]
• Wisconsin SP Phoenix Hall–Wisconsin Institute for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb [NAID 106782729]

Selected Bibliography:

Armstrong, David F. The History of Gallaudet University: 150 Years of a Deaf American Institution. Gallaudet University Press, 2014.

Bahl, Douglas D. “Preserving Deaf Heritage Landmarks.” In Deaf Studies IV: Vision of the Past – Visions for the Future Conference Proceedings, April 27-30, 1995, edited by Vickie Walter. Gallaudet University College for Continuing Education, 1996.

Betts, Otis A. The North Carolina School for the Deaf at Morganton, 1894-1944: The Education of the Deaf in North Carolina, 1845-1945. North Carolina School for the Deaf, 1945. http://archive.org/details/northcarolinasch00bett.

Bruce, Robert V. Bell: Alexander Graham Bell and the Conquest of Solitude. Little & Brown, 1973. Reprinted in Cornell University Press, 1990.

Crouch, Barry A., and Brian H. Greenwald. “Hearing with the Eye: The Rise of Deaf Education in the United States.” In The Deaf History Reader, edited by John Vickery Van Cleve. Gallaudet University Press, 2007. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv2rh28tn.5.

Fischer, Lance J., and Catherine Fischer. The Ohio School for the Deaf: 175 Glorious Years. Ohio School for the Deaf, 2007.

Greenwald, Brian H. “Alexander Graham Bell and His Role in Oral Education.” Disability History Museum, February 10, 2014. https://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/edu/essay.html?id=59.

Hill, Corinna S., and Bruce Johansen. “A Gift to All Deaf Minnesotans: A History of St. Paul’s Charles Thompson Memorial Hall.” Minnesota History 68, no. 4 (Winter 2022-23): 120–33. https://www.jstor.org/stable/48768875.

Kowsky, Francis R. “College Hall at Gallaudet College.” Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 50 (1980): 279–89. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40067822.

Kowsky, Francis R. “Gallaudet College: A High Victorian Campus.” Records of the Columbia Historical Society, Washington, D.C. 71/72 (1971): 439–67. https://www.jstor.org/stable/40067785.

Norton, Kenneth W. The Eagle Soars to Enlightenment. California School for the Deaf, 2000. https://archive.org/details/eaglesoarstoenli0000nort/mode/2up.

Ohio School for the Deaf. Historical and Biographical Souvenir of the Ohio School for the Deaf: Seventy Years’ History of a Notable Seat of Learning, with Personal Recollections of Its Founders and Early Officials. C. C. Johnston, 1898. http://archive.org/details/gu_historicalbio00ohio.

Suggested Books on American Deaf History and Culture for Deaf Awareness Month

Baynton, Douglas C. Forbidden Signs: American Culture and the Campaign against Sign Language. University of Chicago Press, 1996.

Baynton, Douglas C., Jack R. Gannon, and Jean Lindquist Bergey. Through Deaf Eyes: A Photographic History of an American Community. Gallaudet University Press, 2007.

Burch, Susan. Signs of Resistance: American Deaf Cultural History, 1900 to World War II. New York University Press, 2002.

Edwards, R. A. R. Words Made Flesh: Nineteenth-Century Deaf Education and the Growth of Deaf Culture. New York University Press, 2012.

Gannon, Jack R. Deaf Heritage: A Narrative History of Deaf America. National Association of the Deaf, 1981. Reprinted in Vol. 7. Gallaudet Classics in Deaf Studies. Gallaudet University Press, 2012.

Holcomb, Thomas K. Introduction to Deaf Culture. Second Edition. Oxford University Press, 2023.

Lane, Harlan, Robert Hoffmeister, and Ben Bahan. A Journey Into the DEAF-WORLD. DawnSignPress, 1996.

Padden, Carol, and Tom Humphries. Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture. Harvard University Press, 1988.

Padden, Carol, and Tom Humphries. Inside Deaf Culture. Harvard University Press, 2005.

Van Cleve, John Vickrey, and Barry A. Crouch. A Place of Their Own: Creating the Deaf Community in America. Gallaudet University Press, 1989.

This post is part of an ongoing series featuring records from the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) and National Historic Landmarks Program Records, 2013 – 2017 (National Archives ID 20812721), a series within Record Group 79: Records of the National Park Service.