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

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|Title= Danvers State Hospital
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|Title= Carroll County Almshouse and Farm
|Image= Danvers_Admin.jpg
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|Image= CarrollCountyAlmsHouse.jpg
 
|Width= 150px
 
|Width= 150px
|Body= Constructed at a cost of $1.5 million, with the estimated yearly per capita cost of patients being $3,000 the hospital originally consisted of two main center buildings, housing the administration, with four radiating wings. The outer wings (A and J) housed the dangerous patients. The administration building measured 90 by 60 feet, with a tower 130 feet tall. Connected in the rear was a building 180 by 60 feet, in which the kitchens, laundries, chapel, and dormitories for the attendants. In the rear is the boiler house of 70 feet square, with boilers of 450 horsepower, used for heating and ventilation. Water was pumped from Middleton Pond. On each side of the administration are the wings, west side was male, east side was female, connected by small square towers, with the exception of the last ones on each side, which are joined by octagonal towers. The former measured 10 feet square, and were used to separate the buildings. The original plan was designed to house 500 patients, with 100 more possible to accommodate in the attic. The buildings that make up the campus are the main hospital, the Bonner medical building, the gray gables, the male and female nurse homes, the male and female tubercular buildings, the repair shops, the mechanics garage, a work farm, a power plant, a gazebo, several homes and cottages, and some other buildings. However, by the late 1930s and 1940s, over 2,000 patients were being housed, and overcrowding was severe.  [[Danvers State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
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|Body= When Carroll County was created by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1837, legislation was also passed to make Westminster the County Seat; to build a courthouse, a jail, a register's office, a clerk's office, and a poorhouse (almshouse).
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It was the custom in 19th Century America to house the poor in a building called an almshouse since there was no welfare, housing subsidy, or food stamps as we have today. It was not until 1852 that the County Commissioners decided to borrow funds to build the Almshouse. A contract was made on July 6, 1852, for the purchase of 307 acres at a cost of $17,826 or $58.065 per acre. Records indicate that the Almshouse was built in 1852 and 1853. Public notice was given that paupers would be received on May 23, 1853.
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In the early years of the Almshouse, also called the "County Home," the chief position was the "Steward of the Almshouse," who was paid $400 yearly. Other workers included a Teamster at $150, a Fireman at $150, a Matron at $75, a Maid at $84, and a Washwoman at $75 yearly.
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At times as many as fifty people lived here. The Steward lived on the second floor and the women on the third floor. The men's dormitory sits at a right angle to the house. Residents who were able helped to work the farm to raise food for themselves.
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People other than the poor from Carroll County lived here as well. It was a favorite stop for hobos and tramps. Sometimes the insane or criminals were placed here. Windows were barred in some rooms, and doors were lined with sheets of metal.  [[Carroll County Almshouse and Farm|Click here for more...]]
 
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Revision as of 04:55, 18 August 2019

Featured Article Of The Week

Carroll County Almshouse and Farm


CarrollCountyAlmsHouse.jpg

When Carroll County was created by an act of the Maryland General Assembly in 1837, legislation was also passed to make Westminster the County Seat; to build a courthouse, a jail, a register's office, a clerk's office, and a poorhouse (almshouse).

It was the custom in 19th Century America to house the poor in a building called an almshouse since there was no welfare, housing subsidy, or food stamps as we have today. It was not until 1852 that the County Commissioners decided to borrow funds to build the Almshouse. A contract was made on July 6, 1852, for the purchase of 307 acres at a cost of $17,826 or $58.065 per acre. Records indicate that the Almshouse was built in 1852 and 1853. Public notice was given that paupers would be received on May 23, 1853.

In the early years of the Almshouse, also called the "County Home," the chief position was the "Steward of the Almshouse," who was paid $400 yearly. Other workers included a Teamster at $150, a Fireman at $150, a Matron at $75, a Maid at $84, and a Washwoman at $75 yearly.

At times as many as fifty people lived here. The Steward lived on the second floor and the women on the third floor. The men's dormitory sits at a right angle to the house. Residents who were able helped to work the farm to raise food for themselves.

People other than the poor from Carroll County lived here as well. It was a favorite stop for hobos and tramps. Sometimes the insane or criminals were placed here. Windows were barred in some rooms, and doors were lined with sheets of metal. Click here for more...