Our Mission

Beverly Farm Foundation is a loving, caring home for adults with developmental disabilities, providing each individual with physical and emotional security and a dignified quality of life, with opportunities and challenges, within each individual’s functional capabilities.

Beverly Farm is a planned community that nearly 400 individuals with Developmental and Intellectual disabilities call home. There are homes and jobs, a recreation center with a pool, full dining facility; there is an equestrian center, shops, a pavilion, all kinds of activities, medical services, therapies, and much more. Cottages, group homes, apartments, and community-based options make up the landscape, people make it home.

Our History

Beverly Farm was founded in 1897 by Dr. William H.C. Smith and his wife, Elizabeth. They had been searching for a suitable track of land where they could establish a fundamentally different approach in caring for people who live with developmental disabilities. Dr. and Mrs. Smith found the perfect location in Godfrey, Illinois. Here they would offer a caring home, socialization, proper medical care, healthy diet, physical exercise, education, recreation and meaningful work – a radical concept at the time.

The land was named Beverly Farm, in honor of Dr. Smith’s birthplace in Beverly, Massachusetts. With two residents and two buildings, the Smiths began their journey. Their vision still drives the mission and identity of Beverly Farm, shared by staff and the many families they serve.

Dr. Smith received notoriety at the 1904 World’s Fair for his pioneering concepts in the care of people who live with intellectual or developmental disabilities. Recognition and support for Dr. and Mrs. Smith’s innovation was a driving force behind the continuing growth and development of the progressive programming offered by Beverly Farm.

In 1979, Beverly Farm’s focus changed from providing services for children and adults to providing services for adults only.

Today, Beverly Farm is a safe and comfortable home for adults who live with intellectual or developmental disabilities.