Paul A. Dever State School

The campus is about 1,200 acres (4.9 km²) and originally consists of 15 L-Shaped dormitory buildings connected by about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of tunnels along with recreational sites. Additionally, a centrally located kitchen was also built with other structures. Much of the facility closed in 1991 due to lawsuits over funding, with the entire facility closing in 2002.^[1] About 45 buildings were still standing as of end-2012, but the city started tearing down much of the premises and there are only about 10 buildings left in mid-2015, most of which are in heavily deteriorated state. The building is often used for police training, which is the cause of paintball splatters inside.

• April 15, 2009-Four of six suspected teens were arraigned in Taunton District Court for being accused of setting fires to Dever on January 2, 2009. “The incident occurred just before 8 p.m. at an abandoned residential building. A security officer reported a fire at the two-story structure commonly known as House #32, and it was quickly extinguished upon the arrival of Taunton fire personnel."[1] The teens were expected to have been back in court May 20 for a pretrial hearing.
• November 27, 2009-There were more suspicions of arson on Dever’s grounds when a few fires had broken out and completely destroyed one of the buildings. “The Dever school property contains a number of empty buildings that through the years have either been vandalized or set afire by arsonists.”[2] The interior markings inside one building even suggest that it was home to a paintball game a short time after its abandonment.
• December 13, 2009-Another fire had broken out. "The latest fire was reported at 9:30 p.m. and caused minor damage to an empty one-story building, according to Deputy Fire Chief Michael Sylvia — who also said that the blaze originated in the front entry area of what years ago was known as a Brigadier’s Quarters."[3], the arsonist got away on what authorities said was a dirt bike.

September 2012- Another fire had broken out.

• May 27, 2013 - Major fire (3-alarm equivalent) http://www.myfoxboston.com/story/22429979/2013/05/27/fire-breaks-out-in-taunton
• September 9, 2015 - Majority of the building have been torn down, 10 or less remaining now. Construction has begun on new warehouses.
• October 1, 2015 - The School has been mostly demolished and is being used for an expansion of the Miles Standish industrial park, one of the most profitable industrial parks in Massachusetts.^[2]
• As of late 2016, none of the abandoned buildings remain.

• Camp Myles Standish
• Paul A. Dever

• "FAQ." 2007. The Dever Association for the Retarded, Inc. December 2009 <https://archive.today/20041010154347/http://www.deverfamilies.org/faq.html>.
• Lopes, Ashley. "Dever State School." 15 April 2009. Opacity. December 2009 <http://www.opacity.us/article104_teens_arraigned_on_dever_arson_charges.htm>.
• Winokoor, Charles. "Arson Suspected In Dever School Fire." 14 December 2009. Taunton Daily Gazette. December 2009 <http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x819334014/Arson-suspected-in-Dever-school-fire>.
• —. "Fire Destroys Paul A. Dever Building." 27 November 2009. Taunton Daily Gazette. December 2009 <http://www.tauntongazette.com/news/x1792915250/Fire-destroys-Paul-A-Dever-building>.

• https://archive.today/20041010154347/http://www.deverfamilies.org/faq.html