Secret Harbor School

Secret Harbor School
Location
Skagit County , Washington
Coordinates	48°33′4.56″N 122°41′38.76″W
Information
Former name	Secret Harbor farm
Type	Private
Established	1949
Closed	2000
NCES School ID	530015002753
Age range	11 to 18
Website	https://web.archive.org/web/20010202130800/http://secretharbor.org/

The Secret Harbor School was a private boarding school on Cypress Island in Washington state. It was known for its unique educational approach^[clarification needed] and natural setting.[1]

History

The original name was Secret Harbor Farms. Lillian Johnson and Thomas Gallagher founded the school.

In 1955, Secret Harbor Farms appealed to the Washington State Supreme Court as a defendant in a case centred around land access rights.[2]

In 1974, in an article that ran in the Spokane Daily Chronicle, a youth from Michigan sued Secret Harbor Farms, alleging he was abused, denied medical attention, and claimed that the staff made him shovel raw sewage. The article mentioned no phone line reached the mainland.[3]

In a 1976 article, the school mentioned that alumni came from places as diverse as Chicago, Los Angeles, Canada, France, and the Philippines.[4]

In 1978, a judge warned the school to curb escape attempts due to 52 attempts over the prior three years.[5]

In 1987, three residents tried to escape from the school and reached Guemes Island. They left the island by ferry.[6]

In a 1990 kidnap and assault case, two school residents were charged with kidnapping and assaulting an employee. They had obtained a shotgun and pistol. They escaped on a power boat, but were later arrested.[7]

After the school's closure, the island was unoccupied until it was sold in 2005.[8] The new owners had ambitious plans that included turning it into a luxury resort and spa destination. However, due to local resistance, these plans did not happen.^[citation needed]

In 2020, Michael J Moore wrote a book called Secret Harbor. It is about a school called Secret Harbor on an island in the San Juan Islands.[9]

In 2023, the Seattle Times reported lawsuits against the school alleging child abuse in the 1980s and 1990s.[10]

References

1. "About Us". Secret Harbor. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
2. "Anderson v. Secret Harbor Farms, Inc". Justia Law. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
3. "Youth Claims Abuse". Spokane Chronicle. 1974-12-19. p. 14. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
4. "Anacortes American 15 December 1976 — Washington Digital Newspapers". washingtondigitalnewspapers.org. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
5. "judge warns cypress boy facility may be closed". The Bellingham Herald. 1978-01-09. p. 4. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
6. "1987 escape attempt". The Bellingham Herald. 1987-02-02. p. 7. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
7. "Secret harbor escape attempt". The Bellingham Herald. 1990-02-17. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-04-11.
8. "Secret Harbor School Receives $25,000 Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation". Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
9. Moore, Michael (2020). Secret Harbor. Black Rose Writing. ISBN 9781684335220.
10. Carter, Mike (18 January 2023). "Lawsuits target WA group home, 'juvenile Alcatraz' for troubled boys". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 28 March 2023.