This school was conceived in the mind of James Champlin, founded circa 1844 for the establishment of a “state” school for the blind. Following the Civil War, the school struggled to survive until support arrived from philanthropist Judge John M. Lea, who purchased the Claiborne Mansion on Fillmore St. (108 Hermitage Ave.) and donated it to the state for the school. In 1898, the school had a total of 150 pupils. The institution flourished at this location for some 80 years.
