Scott County Poor Farm

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Scott County Poor Farm
Opened 1892
Closed 1973
Current Status Preserved
Building Style Single Building
Architect(s) Johan J. Wiley
Location Scottsburg, IN
Alternate Names
  • Scott County Heritage Center and Museum (Current)




History[edit]

Scott County residents that didn’t have family members to care for them and did not have money would end up in the Poor Farm usually at the end of their lives. Indiana State law required all counties to have a Poor Farm. First there was a Poor Farm north of Lexington, Indiana on Reid Road, but after the court house was moved in 1873, the poor farm was needed within a mile of the town square. The Poor Farm was a working farm and was self-sufficient. The county commissioners were in charge of seeing that the building was kept in decent shape for the residents. Each resident had a job to do on the farm. It was a frame building, but later in 1892 the present day brick building was built, which now houses the Scott County Heritage Center & Museum.[1]

The property is now owned by Preservation Alliance Inc. [2] The museum offers tours, ghost hunting events, and other community events.


Images of Scott County Poor Farm[edit]

Main Image Gallery: Scott County Poor Farm



References[edit]

  1. Scott County Heritage Museum [1]
  2. Hassett, Kayla. "The County Home in Indiana : A Forgotten Response to Poverty and Disability." Diss. Ed. Vera A. Adams. Ball State U, 2013. Cardinal Scholar, 05 Apr. 2013. Web. 02 Dec 2014.