Erie County Home

From Asylum Projects
Jump to: navigation, search
Erie County Home
Established 1851
Location Buffalo, NY



History[edit]

The Erie County Poorhouse was founded in 1851 as a solution to the increasing impoverishment issue in Buffalo, New York. It was moved from its original Black Rock location to Main Street, where it is currently located on the State University of Buffalo's South Campus. There are two structures: one serves as the actual poor home, while the other is meant to house the insane. The main structure is octagonal in design and stands 65 feet in front, with wings that reach 225 feet. A 153-acre farm that generates $2,700 in revenue is attached. There are thirty-four rooms in the poorhouse. The Erie County Poorhouse of Buffalo, NY, and succeeding institutions known as the Erie County Alms House, Erie County Hospital, and Erie County Home & Infirmary, operated as a social safety net for the region's poor and ill.[1]

References[edit]