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

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{{FAformat
|Title= Topeka State Hospital
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|Title= Carroll County Almshouse and Farm
|Image= Tsh.jpg
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|Image= CarrollCountyAlmsHouse.jpg
 
|Width= 150px
 
|Width= 150px
|Body= Legislature appropriated $25,000 in 1875 "for the purpose of building an asylum for the insane at some convenient and healthy spot within two miles of the state capitol building in the city of Topeka." One condition was that the land would be acquired at no cost to the state. So the city of Topeka and Shawnee County each contributed $6,000 to purchase the original 80 acres.
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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).
  
The first two ward buildings, accommodating 135 patients, opened in 1879. Dr. Barnard Douglass Eastman resigned as superintendent of the asylum at Worcester MA to become the first superintendent at TSH. The institution was called the Topeka Insane Asylum until 1901 when the Legislature officially changed the name to Topeka State Hospital. Eastman told legislators that patients who were being released to make room for more patients were "well enough to be in a measure useful. All were of a quiet and harmless character."
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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.
  
He described the treatment process this way: "Removal from the worriment, the overwork, the unsanitary conditions and the unsuitable food of many homes ... occupying body and mind in the new employment, cheering the drooping and melancholy and soothing the excited and irritable, are some of the elements of treatment of the greatest value, sometimes working rapid cures with but little medication." [[Topeka State Hospital|Click here for more...]]
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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...