Laconia grad presents research on State School property

LACONIA — A recent Laconia High School graduate, studying history and law at Saint Anselm College, in Goffstown, returned to the Laconia Public Library this week to give a presentation on the history of the Laconia State School. 

A crowd of about 60 gathered at the library on Wednesday evening to hear from Lily Lescarbeau. A member of the class of 2024, the building's 100th, compiled a historical timeline for the school's historic anniversary.

That project helped light a fire within her, one she continues to stoke.

“I’ve always loved research, I have lists of history research that I’ve done for my whole life, really. But it did help me, I think, doing that project first, before doing this one,” she said. 

At the library, the turnout was so large additional chairs were brought into the downstairs meeting room, where Laconia Historical & Museum Society President Tara Shore welcomed visitors and introduced Lescarbeau.

“Welcome to our first presentation of 2026, it’s part of our year-long 'Our Yesterdays 2026' presentation series,” Shore said. 

Lescarbeau, in her second year at Saint Anselm, works as an assistant to the history department and a gallery attendant. Lescarbeau started her research on the State School property her last year in high school. She was the first recipient of the Laconia Historical & Museum Society’s Warren D. Huse Honorary Membership and has since been an active member of the society’s collection team. 

“Like so many history enthusiasts, Lily has a particular passion, and hers is the Laconia State School,” Shore said. “She spent countless hours researching and deepening her understanding of the facility, firmly believing that its often under-looked and somewhat under-documented history which is both significant and essential.

“With this crowd, I think what has occurred here is that we know things are happening up there,” Shore said. “It’s an interest, it’s a curiosity.” 

Lescarbeau also has a personal connection to the site, which is expected to be developed into a large planned community including more than 2,000 units of housing by Pillsbury Realty Development over the coming decade.

“I used to walk the property a lot during COVID with my grandmother, so that really got me started in the history. Honestly, it was after I finished my high school project that I just got bored, and I needed something to do so I was like, ‘I’m going to research this,'” she said. “It just spiraled since.” 

And she’s got a real knack for finding the most interesting nuggets of information from a treasure-trove of difficult documents. 

For example, more than 400 sterilizations were performed there by 1958, Lescarbeau told the crowd.  

“By 1950, conditions in the dorms were inhumane,” she said. “Women were sterilized more than men.

“I believe in preserving history,” she said. “If something were to happen on the property, there should at least be a plaque or something that commemorates what happened there.”

Though her interests are varied — she plans to attend law school — Lescarbeau said she’d like to keep working on the history of the Laconia State School.

“I would love this to be my senior thesis for college, because it would be a perfect one for me, because I’m very passionate about it, so hopefully I can keep working on this,” she said.

“I find that small town history is not talked about and this was something that, at one time, Laconia residents found shameful. I think it’s something that needs to be talked about and the history needs to be preserved there.”