Mercer County Almshouse
| Mercer County Almshouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1851 |
| Opened | 1853/1883 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Architect(s) | Drum & Stein |
| Alternate Names |
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History[edit]
In 1830 the Pennsylvania General Assembly enacted legislation allowing Counties to establish alms homes or poor farms. One by one, counties across the state began to develop a system to care for their community members. On March 22, 1850 the PA General Assembly approved Act 202. This Act commissioned a panel of twenty-eight local individuals to determine upon and purchase real estate that they deemed necessary for the accommodation of the poor of Mercer County. It also set forth that the purchase should be made prior to January of 1851. With the passage of Act 202, the County began its function as a caregiver to area poor. Initial development of the alms home in Mercer County took place during the early 1850s. The Directors of the Poor and of the House of Employment for the County of Mercer purchased the original site from Henry Moore in 1851. Directors Enoch Perrine, Samuel Woods, and William F. Groves soon realized that the site was inconveniently located and in too poor of a condition to continue developing. Although a building was started at the Moore property, construction was abandoned and the property was eventually sold. A new location was found and in May of 1852, 83 acres were purchased for Mercer County from Thomas Pearson. The site was developed and ready for residents in January of 1853. Fourteen individuals were recorded as the first residents of the new establishment.
The property of the Home was assembled from various parcels that were purchased over a period of nearly 80 years to form a contiguous 353.85-acre facility. Located approximately one mile north of Mercer, the property reached from the Clarksville Road on the west to Route 19 on the east. In May of 1866 40 additional acres west of the Pearson property were purchased from Charles and Anna Bagnall and Thomas and Sidonia Clucow. Next, 83 acres west of the first two purchases were acquired by the from Margaret and Robert Buxton in March of 1880. Acquisition continued with the purchase of 110 acres that lay east of the Pearson tract from John and Elizabeth McConnell in November of 1920. The last 35.5 acres were purchased from J.C. and Lillian Moon in 1930 bringing the total acreage to 350-plus acres.
The Home property has been the foundation for several resident buildings. Over the course of about 110 years, three buildings were constructed to accommodate the poor of Mercer County. The first was completed and housed residents in 1853. Next, ground was broken in 1880 for a new resident complex. The architecture firm of Drum and Stein of Pittsburgh developed plans for the castle-like structure. The building was constructed by contractor Simon Harrold of Beaver Falls for $110,000. The facility was opened for use in 1883. The final residential complex was completed in 1960. This structure is still operational today as a skilled nursing center under the management of Avalon Springs.
Both the size and scope of the farm changed over Farm's history. Buildings, acreage, and animals were amassed until the 1950s, which most likely was the peak of production and diversity at the farm. Nevertheless, changing regulations foreshadowed the fate of agriculture operated under the influence of the county. In the 1970s it became unlawful for patients of the home to work on the farm. Also, federal meat inspection regulations began to require all slaughtering to meet the standards of a slaughter plant. Thus, a Blue Ribbon Committee of agricultural leaders in the county, charged with reviewing the status of operations at the farm, determined that continuing to operate the farm was not economically sound. Consequently, the county ceased actively farming the acres of the poor farm and sold its machinery and livestock at auction in January of 1973. Over the next 14 years, area farmers rented the barns and cropland, however much of the pastureland became idle. Finally, in 1987 the Austin Rains family began raising Angus beef cattle at the operation.
The landscape of the farm also changed over time. Buildings were razed and land was divided. In 1937, County Institution District Law abolished the office of county poor director and conveyed its powers and duties to the County Commissioners. From the 1970s to the late 1990s over 179 acres of the poor farm were parceled off and sold. Mercer County Career Center, Mercer County Cooperative Extension, and Yes Academy Youth Education Services occupy 139 of those acres that lay east of State Route 58. The remaining 40 acres were sold to a private organization known as Avalon Springs. Avalon Springs still uses the third resident structure that was completed at the poor farm in 1960 as a skilled nursing center. From the 1960s to the late 1990s several buildings were removed from service at the County Home. The three farm dwellings, dairy barn, pig barn, and most notably the castle-like residence building were razed. The division of land and the demise of the structures forever changed the landscape of the poor farm in Mercer County. Today, the land situated between State Route 58 and Clarksville Road (Rt. 258) still functions largely as it did years ago. Agriculture and elderly care are still the focus of these lands and facilities. The final residence structure built by the county remains as a home to patients at Avalon Springs.
Images of the Mercer County Almshouse[edit]
Main Image Gallery: Mercer County Almshouse
