Yates County Poorhouse
| Yates County Poorhouse | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1830 |
| Demolished | 1922 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Location | Jerusalem, NY |
History[edit]
In 1824 the State Legislature passed an act which made a general provision for the maintenance of the poor of the several counties of the State and under this law the supervisors of the county took the initial steps toward the establishment of a county infirmary. The matter was under discussion early in October 1829 at which time the supervisors filed with the clerk a certificate that read as follows: "In compliance with the tenth section of an act passed the 27th of November, 1824, relative to County Poor-Houses, we hereby determine that it will benefit the county of Yates to erect a county poor-house therein. "Given under our hands this 10th day of October, 1829. "Jonathan Whittaker, George Youngs, Clarkson Martin, Alfred Brown, Asher Spicer, James Christie, Abraham Maxfield." Thereafter the supervisors of the county agreed upon the purchase of lands for poor house purposes. The deed was executed on April 14, 1830, by Alfred Brown of Jerusalem, to the superintendents of the poor of Yates County, Elijah Spencer, Joel Dorman, Jabez French, John Warner, and James C. Robinson, whereby in consideration of the sum of $1,200 the grantor conveyed to the grantees, or their successors in office or legal representatives, 125 acres of land in the town of Jerusalem. This is the same tract of land now in part used by the county as a poor house farm. The Yates County poor house and its management have at times been the subjects of much discussion and no little anxiety on the part of the supervisors, the press, and the people of the county as well. There have been charges of corruption and extravagance which may not have been wholly groundless. It was during the period extending from 1855 to 1860 that the subject was uppermost in the public and official mind, but eventually, the matter was adjusted or settled and affairs resumed their usual quiet state. From that to the present time there has been no serious disturbance concerning the county's poor house management.[1][2]
In June 1922, a fire destroyed the nearly fifty-year-old institution.
