Editing St. Lawrence County Alms House

The St. Lawrence County Poorhouse, Almshouse or County Home as it was referred to was completed in 1869, and was located two miles downstream from Canton, NY, toward Ogdensburg, on a prominent piece of Grasse River frontage. The County Home was built in response to the County Poorhouse Act passed by New York State legislature in 1824. The home was a place where the less fortunate could seek refuge, even if only for a night. It was built to accommodate up to 300 residents (or what were then called ‘’inmates’’) at a time. Like all almshouses in New York in the 19th and 20th centuries, it was funded by taxpayers and managed by the county government. The Home was heated, clean, well aerated, and had an infirmary as well as a separate area for the insane. However, St. Lawrence County Almshouse officials were negligent in initiating the required admission forms for each inmate as there are many that are missing. Those seeking refuge in the home were either ‘indigent,’ ‘poor,’ ‘sick,’ ‘feeble minded,’ or insane. Immigrant men, women, and children as well as those from the local area found their way to the home. Immigrant residents were from a variety of places including Canada, Mexico, Ireland, and Austria. 

For over 100 years more than 2000 residents made use of the home, and over 700 found their final resting place within the home’s cemetery. 500+ of these graves are unmarked and are in danger of being eroded by the Grasse River.  The grave markers likely did not stand the test of time as they were often made from wood, because the County did not have the financial resources to put a tombstone on every grave. The building itself was destroyed in 1978, taking with it the voices of many of St. Lawrence County’s most vulnerable residents. 

References: 

St. Lawrence County poorhouse. St. Lawrence County Poorhouse | Death in St. Lawrence County Project. (n.d.). https://www.dslc.info/content/st-lawrence-county-poorhouse 

Saint Lawrence County alms house cemetery in Canton, New York - find a grave cemetery. Find a Grave. (n.d.). https://www.findagrave.com/cemetery/2632764/saint-lawrence-county-alms-house-cemetery 

Baird, R. (2015, August 6). Forgotten graves at the County Home Cemetery. NCPR. https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/29078/20150806/forgotten-graves-at-the-county-home-cemetery 

Aubel, M. (2022, January 7). The Lewis County Almshouse. Historically Lewis. https://historicallylewis.org/places/the-lewis-county-almshouse/