Chisago County Poor House
| Chisago County Poor House | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1871 |
| Demolished | 1977 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | North Branch, MN |
History[edit]
Chisago County government records show the Sunrise Poor Farm began operation about 1871. The 1885 MN state census lists 6 residents under the supervision of Oscar and Hannah Erickson, the caretakers who lived there along with their daughter Elida, age 3. A second Chisago County Poor Farm, established about 1885, two miles east of North Branch, MN. During the 1950's the name of this county operation was changed to the Green Acres Country Care Center and relabeled as a nursing home. The original building was replaced with a more modern facility in the 1970's. In the early 2000's a new private care facility was built on the west side of North Branch, the existing residents were relocated, and the old site was abandoned. Several land ownership transactions took place and eventually the property was sold to a developer for residential home sites.
Cemetery[edit]
There are cement headstones for 20 persons who died between about 1905 and 1911. The markers appear to have been erected all at one time. Federal census and Chisago County death records between 1911 and 1937 reveal another five persons were buried in this cemetery in unmarked graves. Starting about 1937 there were no more burials in this location. Although the county Poor Farms continued to operate until 1954, they began using the established local cemeteries to bury their dead.
