[2] Founded as the Templeton Farm Colony in 1899 through the efforts of Walter E. Fernald, superintendent of what is now called the Fernald School in Waltham, Massachusetts, it was considered an innovative and progressive facility for managing the state's developmentally disabled population at the time.

The original 18th and 19th-century farmsteads of this large parcel were adapted by the state into four distinct "colonies", which operated independently of each other under the management of a single administrator.

Additions were made to existing farm structures, and new dormitory and service facilities were constructed over a period extending mainly through the 1920s.

It received national and international recognition for its innovative approach to providing a productive working environment for developmentally disabled boys and men.

[3] Changing trends, primarily that of preferring smaller-scale local settings for developmentally disabled people, have led to a decline the population.