Dutchess County House
| Dutchess County House | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1863 |
| Opened | 1864 |
| Closed | 1998 |
| Current Status | Preserved |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Washington, NY |
| Alternate Names |
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History
In 1863, the Dutchess County Board of Supervisors voted to relocate the county’s paupers from Poughkeepsie to a new site in the town of Washington. A special board committee purchased a working farm and contracted for the construction of buildings to house the poor, insane, and infirm. The new county poorhouse opened in October 1864. In February 1961, the county completed work on a new 60-bed wing for the infirmary, which included updated medical equipment and office space. This facility closed in November 1998 and today houses the Eastern Dutchess Government Center. From the 1870s until the 1930s, government reports documented the continuing struggle to provide adequate care for poorhouse residents. Attempts to upgrade the facilities culminated in the renovation of the East Wing of the poorhouse into an infirmary in 1938. Intended to provide in-patient care for ill or injured residents of the poorhouse, the infirmary swiftly became a nursing home for county residents who could not afford care elsewhere.
In February 1961, the county completed work on a new 60-bed wing for the infirmary, which included updated medical equipment and office space. The building remained vacant until the county opened the Eastern Dutchess Government Center at the County Home in 2008; however, sections of the original poorhouse have since been demolished.
