From its inception, the Vermont State School had close ties to the eugenics movement. White, middle-class reformers – often affiliated with Vermont’s Children’s Aid Society – helped to identify potential inmates from among the state’s poorest and most vulnerable families and communities. Cultural biases shaped every aspect of reformers’ interaction with so-called “feebleminded” children and their families. Poor families were judged negligent when homes lacked the material comforts of middle-class life. Common-law marriages, though widely accepted in rural Vermont, had no validity in the eyes of child savers, who were quick to allege sexual licentiousness and remove children from the home. Children were often declared “feebleminded” and sent to the Vermont State School with little evidence of cognitive impairment. Inconsistent school attendance, below-average scores on culturally biased IQ tests, or allegations of familial “subnormality” were sufficient grounds for institutionalizing a child.