Difference between revisions of "Portal:Featured Article Of The Week"

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|Title= Ellis Island Isolation Hospital
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|Title= Beaver County Almshouse
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|Image= Beaver County Alsmhouse PA report 1885.jpg
 
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|Body= In the nineteenth century, the United States had suffered three devastating cholera outbreaks, with each originating abroad. As Ellis Island being the port of entry, it's two story wooden dispensary was not equipped to handle such threats. For the next decade the issue of how to protect the health of the nation and the immigrants loomed over Ellis. The problem would only intensify when the wooden infirmary caught fire and burned to the ground in 1897.
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|Body= The decision to create a poorhouse in Beaver County has its roots in a 1831 Court-House debate, which was unsuccessful in persuading the establishment of such an institution. The topic returned 10 years later only to be defeated in a vote. In another 10 years, in 1851 the issue was yet again placed to a vote, only narrowly passing with a vote of 1,855 to 1,738. As a result the county purchased a farm from George Stone for $6,900 and erected a small one story frame building in what was then Moon Township. It sat on 130 acres of land, with 5 being cultivated and 1 used as a garden. In 1859 another one story frame building was erected on the same site. It was not until 1868 when a more substantial two story brick almshouse was constructed to replace the two older structures. This building was completed in 1870. Due to the low location of the site by the Ohio River the alsmhouse property experienced frequent flooding, on February 7th 1884 having water rise seven feet above the ground level.By 1885 the poor farm could accommodate 100 paupers.
  
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President Theodore Roosevelt proposed a change in immigration policy and recognized that Ellis Island needed a more thorough way to process it's health screening. There was no extra vacant land to build a hospital, but tons of rocks being excavated to build the New York subway system provided enough to landfill two islands. Designated simply as Island No. 2 and Island No. 3, they were home to the general and infectious diseases hospitals.
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A state report from 1913 indicated the 1870 era building was in very poor condition and cited constant flooding as a problem, and that plans were being drawn up to build a new facility on the same property, but in a location which would no flood. In 1916 this institution opened up a substantial distance from the original almhouse site. It consisted of a central building with two story wings on either side, attached by one story connecting corridors. Designed with in the neo-classical style of architecture the central building sported a large pillared porch. In 1940 a large addition was built to the rear of the 1916 building which added an additional 100 beds. The complex also included the superintendents residence, a morgue, and various farm outbuilding. Unusual was the provision for several jail cells for those paupers who misbehaved. [[Beaver County Almshouse|Click here for more...]]
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Connected by a gangplank, Island No. 2 was separated by 200 feet of water from the original island and home to the new General Hospital. It opened in 1902, with 120 beds making it larger then most of the city hospitals at the time, and would eventually expand to 275 beds. The hospital included four operating rooms, a delivery room, and a morgue. A psychopathic pavilion was built after two mentally ill patients committed suicide in the general hospital. The pavilion was incorporated to house "idiots, imbeciles, feeble-minded persons, insane persons, and epileptics." [[Ellis Island Isolation Hospital|Click here for more...]]
 
 
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Revision as of 03:46, 13 August 2012

Featured Article Of The Week

Beaver County Almshouse


Beaver County Alsmhouse PA report 1885.jpg

The decision to create a poorhouse in Beaver County has its roots in a 1831 Court-House debate, which was unsuccessful in persuading the establishment of such an institution. The topic returned 10 years later only to be defeated in a vote. In another 10 years, in 1851 the issue was yet again placed to a vote, only narrowly passing with a vote of 1,855 to 1,738. As a result the county purchased a farm from George Stone for $6,900 and erected a small one story frame building in what was then Moon Township. It sat on 130 acres of land, with 5 being cultivated and 1 used as a garden. In 1859 another one story frame building was erected on the same site. It was not until 1868 when a more substantial two story brick almshouse was constructed to replace the two older structures. This building was completed in 1870. Due to the low location of the site by the Ohio River the alsmhouse property experienced frequent flooding, on February 7th 1884 having water rise seven feet above the ground level.By 1885 the poor farm could accommodate 100 paupers.

A state report from 1913 indicated the 1870 era building was in very poor condition and cited constant flooding as a problem, and that plans were being drawn up to build a new facility on the same property, but in a location which would no flood. In 1916 this institution opened up a substantial distance from the original almhouse site. It consisted of a central building with two story wings on either side, attached by one story connecting corridors. Designed with in the neo-classical style of architecture the central building sported a large pillared porch. In 1940 a large addition was built to the rear of the 1916 building which added an additional 100 beds. The complex also included the superintendents residence, a morgue, and various farm outbuilding. Unusual was the provision for several jail cells for those paupers who misbehaved. Click here for more...

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