Washington County Poorhouse
From Asylum Projects
| Washington County Poorhouse | |
|---|---|
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Argyle, NY |
| Alternate Names | |
History[edit]
In the 1800s, a poorhouse was located on the property where the nursing home, the adult home and the adult day care complex on Route 40 are now. On June 20, 1827, the first residents were admitted there and by in 1856 there were 112 residents, 40 of who were children and 20 who were labeled as "lunatics," according to Washington County records. Poorhouse residents had to work for their own sustenance. The county supplied them with work either on the farm, located on the property, or in a workshop on the premises, making something that could be sold. Although the dormitories and the workshops a long gone, the original home for the superintendent of the poorhouse still stands on the Pleasant Valley property along with a few sheds.
