Strafford County Farm

Strafford County Farm
Established	1867
Current Status	Preserved
Building Style	Pavilion Plan
Architect(s)	F.N. Footman (Almshouse), G. Brown (House of Correction)
Location	Dover, NH
Architecture Style	Classic Revival Strafford County Almshouse Strafford County House of Corrections

History

Strafford County purchased two farms totaling 290 acres to establish the county’s almshouse, house of correction, and insane asylum. The poor farm included the main almshouse, blacksmith’s shop, carpenter shop, slaughterhouse, and other farm outbuildings. Those who were able to work did so on the farm and provided as much as 90% of the farm’s labor.

The Almshouse building was made of brick and three-stories, with a full basement and attic, in a U-shape floorplan, similar in design to the Merrimack County Almshouse. It was designed by F.N. Footman and built by Fall and Moulton. The almshouse was built to house 250-300 people. The main block housed the superintendent and administrative offices. Each wing housed the poor, separated by gender. Each wing included its own hospital room. The original construction included cells in the basement to contain inmates accused of misdemeanors.

In 1881, a fire broke out in the Almshouse as a result of an overheated furnace. Thirteen of the 169 inmates died, including two children who were living in the attic.

After the fire, a separate ward was eventually built to house children. A school room was then established in the main building.

The Almshouse’s appearance remained relatively untouched until 1964 when a new kitchen and dining room were built in the back, connecting the two wings. In 1970, a new nursing home was built in front of the original Almshouse building.

The Insane Asylum was a two-story wooden building, an attic, and a connecting two-story ell. The first floor housed the asylum keeper and his family, along with 17 inmates. The second floor house 29 inmates, and eight inmates in the attic. There was an outdoor area for the inmates, surrounded by a 10-12 foot wooden fence. Each window in the asylum was barred, and some had heavy wire screening. An 1889 report noted the building was “very cheaply and poorly constructed, and is not suitable for an insane asylum…The institution needs quite extensive repairing.”

On the night of February 9, 1893, the nightwatchman was making his 10pm rounds when he noticed a fire in one of the inmate’s rooms. It was believed the inmate had started the fire with a match, as they were readily available to inmates who smoked. The fire spread rapidly, and the nightwatchman only managed to save a few. Forty of the 44 inmates died and the building was left to burn.

As a result of the fire, a hearing with the State Board of Health to determine the cause and who would be held accountable for the loss of life and asylum building. County officials had been warned previously of the danger of fires and the necessity for proper fire prevention, but those warnings went unnoticed. The result of the investigation found that the “system for caring for the county insane was in the same in all counties, differing only in some minor details. The system was the outgrowth of a forced necessity, the guiding principle of which was to house, clothe, and feed the incurable insane at the smallest possible expense to the county. The result of this investigation had the effect on the next legislature to enact a law abolishing all of these county insane asylums, and the State assumed the entire support, control and management of the insane, and the county asylums were abolished.” It was decided that the county insane would no longer be housed at the county farms. Inmates deemed “incurable” would be moved to the State Hospital at Concord. The asylum building at Stafford County was never rebuilt.

In 1907, a separate House of Corrections was built after it was decided that the prison inmates should not be housed in the same building as the poor. The two-and-a-half story brick building was built behind the Almshouse. It was designed by G. Brown and built by Herman Lord. The Administrative portion is separated from the prisoner’s quarters by a heavy brick wall and steel door. . Leading from the dining room are a smoking room, barber shop, and lavatories. Bathroom with seven shower stalls. From the dining room extends a tunnel to the kitchen of the main almshouse through which the prisoners’ meals are sent. The prison cells consist of two tiers of double cells, 24 cells in a tier, thus accommodating 96 prisoners. Three tiers in original design. The tunnels were blocked off sometime in the 1940s.

Present Day

The original Almshouse, House of Corrections, boiler room and its 60 foot smokestack, and laundry room are all preserved and on the National Register of Historic Places. The buildings are now used as a nursing home and county offices.

• 

  Strafford County Almshouse (A) and Insane Asylum (B), 1889.

• 

  Strafford County Almshouse, 1900.

• 

  Agricultural buildings at Strafford County Farm, 1900.

• 

  Strafford County House of Corrections, 1900.

• 

  Cells inside the Strafford House of Corrections, 1900.

• 

  Another photograph showing the cells within the House of Corrections, 1900.

• 

  Sleeping rooms in the Almshouse, 1900.

• 

  Original stone sign for the Strafford County Farm.

• 

  The Strafford County Almshouse, present day.