Poor Farm
Jan Huston, Lyon County Historical Society
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Editor’s Note: This is another in a series of historical articles provided by the Lyon County Historical Archives. This week, Jan Huston researches Emporia’s Poor Farm.
An outraged resident of the county threatened county commissioners in January of 1942.
“All I can say is, Mr. Commissioners, watch your step. I have heard many rumors and some investigation may be instituted.” One month later he wrote again, “We have given you warning, and we see you will not take it!” His ire was raised by commissioners’ actions regarding the running of the County Poor Farm, an institution that provided room and care for the elderly, poor and indigent of the county.
His letter to The Wailing Place began, “To the Editor of The Gazette, Sir: I have read and reread the article in The Gazette that the county commissioners will not abandon its county farm. Just when did it fall into the hands of our commissioners? I would like to know, and again why are we taxpayers paying double taxes to run it? We are paying 2 per cent consumers tax for the benefit of our aged people. I contend that our commissioners would see that all old aged citizens should get their allowance to turn the Heritage into a boarding home and take that money and give it to some good man and wife, under a contract with the commissioners that he and his wife will board and clothe these people, even better than the county is doing, turn the farm land over to him so he can raise everything necessary for the upkeep of its people.”
The county commissioners had calculated that it was costing the county $17 per person per month to keep each of the 22 residents. The county resident countered with his claim that it should only cost $5.20 per resident. He based this on the reported expenses of food — $992.34, clothing — $66.66, and medicine — $84.41. He figured that the commissioners should pay the matron $200 and save the taxpayers $4,974.35 a year. He did not know why the commissioners wanted to pay the matron $145 a month.
To those of us living in 2011 or 2012, these amounts are unbelievable. Anyone with a relative in a nursing home today knows the expenses incurred are tremendous. But in 1942, in the midst of a war, with a history of poor-farm care, this taxpayer felt he was well within his rights to be complaining.
The first mention of the poor farm in Emporia newspapers goes back to March of 1873, when the county commissioners bought 80 acres from Preston B. Plumb at a price of $42.50 per acre for the express purpose of providing a place for the aged poor to live out their lives. Nearly every county saw this as its responsibility. The Emporia site was selected “west of the city.” Those who remember the poor farm know it was located south of South Avenue on Prairie Street, where the county road and bridge department is today. In answer to the outraged citizen of 1942, the commissioners had always overseen the poor farm.
The second mention of the poor farm was found in an April 1878 article that stated that the east and west gable ends of the building and the roof were taken off in a tornado that left very little of the building above the second floor. What this early building looked like is unknown today, but the 1891 Emporia Daily Republican reported that Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Cochran had managed the county farm for six years and were leaving the place in good shape. Mrs. Cochran had cared for the indigent persons with patience and sympathy for their misfortunes and afflictions. Mr. Cochran had dealt fairly with the county commissioners and made many improvements without charge to the county.
A resident in his 80’s, Richard Barrett, wrote to The Gazette in 1912, acknowledging that there were 18 “inmates” residing in the two buildings. He stated that the south building had two stories plus a basement where all cooking and eating were done. Four women never went downstairs for any purpose, he said, so all food had to be carried up two flights of stairs to them.
“They have only candle light, and in their enfeebled condition they are likely to start a fire, and in that case they would surely perish, as they do not even have a fire escape. Then the county would be rid of that much,” he claimed.
He went on to assert that the north building was cracking to pieces. The house shook when the wind blew, worrying him that it would fall. Again, he noted that all the stairs were difficult for the cripples, invalids and those enfeebled by age. He felt that what was needed was a building with all the rooms on one level.
Once again the county commissioners earned ire as Barrett wrote, “The talk has been that the commissioners had no money to do anything with. They have paid out a good deal of money for bridges, which perhaps were needed, but the other things were needed, too.” He invited them to visit the county farm, claiming that they never go through the houses or over the place.
In time, Lyon County did build a new facility for the county’s needy persons. President Thomas Butcher of the Teachers’ College made the dedicatory address when the new Lyon County Home was opened in May of 1926. President Butcher claimed, “There is no finer measure of the civilization of a people than the way in which they take care of those who are less fortunate than the main body of the citizenship.” Fred Fowler, chairman of the county commission, and William Allen White also gave short talks at the dedication.
Named “The Heritage,” the beautiful new home represented the ideals by which Lyon Countians directed their lives, said the Rev. J.C.I. Rice, who represented the committee that adopted the new name. The name, “The Heritage,” had a double significance for the county, he noted, as it meant not only an inheritance, but it also reflected the name of one of Lyon County’s early benevolent families. Lemuel T. Heritage, captain of E Company in the Second Kansas Volunteers during the Civil War, carried a bullet in his body for 50 years. But he always helped with every good cause, leaving his estate to the poor, specifically poor children of Emporia who might need books, clothes, and medical attention so that they might live with self-respect. The name of a man who helped bring self-respect to others was used for the county home rather than for a great hall.
Built with 14-inch thick outer walls and 12-inch thick interior walls, The Heritage was U-shaped with the center section two stories high and the two wings, one story high. There were 12 rooms on one wing and 10 on the other. Each room had a twin bed, a closet/dresser, and a lounge chair. Residents shared large bathrooms in each wing that each had a large cast-iron tub. Showers were available in the basement. Stairs to the basement were steel, and coal chutes led there where the huge furnace/boiler provided steam heat to the radiators in each room.
Spring of 1933 found Mr. and Mrs. Frank Humphrey as caretakers. Spring cleaning for the Humphreys meant varnishing the woodwork and floors, hanging clean curtains at all 52 windows, and replacing some of the beds and mattresses. Residents did some of the work, including caring for the baby chicks and gathering eggs. Mr. Humphrey had installed new fencing for the cow pasture and the hog pasture. Potatoes were planted, and a large vegetable garden provided food. The desire of the county commissioners and their appointed committee was to use taxpayers’ money wisely in giving the residents wholesome food and sanitary living quarters.
Jim Martin, a resident in 1936, claimed that he appreciated three square meals a day, a clean bed to rest on, and a doctor when he was ill. He felt he was treated humanely and could work when he felt like it or rest when he felt like it. He felt nothing but gratitude for the people of Lyon County who provided “this wonderful haven for unfortunates.”
In 1937, new caretakers Mr. and Mrs. N. L. Watson found that all of the bedding and all of the clothing in the place was soiled. On the first day they took over, they did 27 tubs full of laundry. Of the 23 inmates at that time, only three were women. Mrs. Watson claimed that she found only one washcloth in the house when she took over. Mr. Watson discovered that by properly feeding the cows he had almost doubled their milk production. The Depression-era institution had obviously fallen on harder times in that year.
By 1941 the Lyon County Commissioners decided to continue operating The Heritage even in the face of a new trend to abandon county homes in favor of private boarding homes subsidized and encouraged by the Federal Social Security program. Realizing that the type of resident at the home had changed, county officials knew they were dealing with persons who were either physically or mentally unable to care for themselves. Some of this was due to physical inability or low mentality. “The Lyon County farm serves as a haven for certain incapacitated and practically homeless persons who come under the Welfare office jurisdiction and where immediate action is necessary.” Some of these persons had previously been cared for by family members who had died suddenly, leaving the persons destitute without notice.
That year six women and 17 men ranging in ages from 37 to 89 lived at The Heritage. Mrs. Watson helped prepare short Christmas lists, and the residents, identified only by initials and ages, had their requests listed in the paper.
When the irate county resident wrote his letter to the editor in 1942, county commissioners replied that the caretakers were each receiving $70 per month for their work. The Gazette reported in September that year that the county’s Old Age assistance program directed from the Welfare office saw expenses mounting with new clients certified each month. However, because of the great amount of home-produced food used at the Heritage, the feeding costs for the residents and employees was low, compared to the food costs of many county residents who were “worrying along” with rationing books.
After Mr. Watson quit to become engaged in private farming, Mrs. Watson remained as the superintendent of The Heritage for about a year and a half, but in February of 1945 a new couple, Mr. and Mrs. John James, were hired to operate The Heritage. In August of 1946 inspectors found management to be excellent at the home. Hundreds of jars of home-canned fruits, pickles, tomatoes, and jellies lined the shelves of the cellar. With all patient rooms located on the main floor, inspectors noted that all residents were capable of getting out of the Heritage without help in case of an emergency.
A 1950 editorial on county homes, or poor farms as others called them, responded to the discussion across the state of closing such institutions. However it was mentioned that Lyon County’s home was much newer, at only 25 years old, than the homes in most counties. It was a forerunner in modern care for the aged poor. In 1951, the county commission undertook the remodeling and refurnishing of the home at a cost of $21,000. Exterior work included repairing the tile roof and brick walls, and lower concrete porch steps were poured on the east side of the building. In the interior, new Venetian blinds replaced old green shades. An electric dishwasher and range replaced older equipment in the kitchen, while a new washer and dryer were installed to facilitate laundry work. All bedrooms were refurnished as were the visiting rooms and the dining room. An open house was held to show off the work.
By 1953, the county commission had leased the management of The Heritage to Hazel Stine to operate as a private nursing home. Ten years later they sought to sell the property in a 1962 referendum, but county residents voted down the proposal. Giving reasons such as the fact that Social Security and Welfare programs take care of the elderly, selling the home would put it back on tax rolls, and sale of the property would end county responsibility for upkeep, commissioners again put the issue to a vote in 1966.
Finally, in 1969 The Gazette reported that Michael Welch of Emporia had purchased the two acres on which the buildings stood with the hope of turning it into a suburban residential center for men. They had to use blowtorches to strip off the linoleum that smelled of urine. They were surprised to find chains in the basement, apparently used for restraining people, and chains around a tree in the back yard that may have been used to keep someone in the yard who might wander away. The Welches appreciated the spirea bushes in front of the structure which may have been plantings from its dedication in 1926, along with the trumpet vine hedge around the back of the building.
The Welch family did much work on the facility, renaming it Belmont Hall, before arranging for the remodeled building to house male college students and IBP workers, but after one semester, they found the younger men were too destructive. Following that, the Welches rented rooms in the wings, primarily to older Mexican men who needed housing. The four Welch daughters grew up in the upstairs center part of the structure, the portion the family used as its living quarters. The girls sometimes entertained friends with stories of ghostly sounds of chains on the steel basement stairs at Halloween. The family installed a swimming pool in back for family fun, yet at the same time Belmont Hall was a fallout shelter for the county, if that need ever arose.
Years later, in 2001, after the family had long since moved away, Lyon County commissioners once again purchased The Heritage, this time in a real estate agreement with Michael Welch. Since county property including the Lyon County Road and Bridge Department surrounded the two-story building by that time, commissioners felt it was time to purchase the property for security reasons and storage space. Although some commissioners favored preserving the building, they also realized that it would be really expensive to use or maintain. So in February of 2002, the decision was made to raze the building.
In its honor, Floyd and Peggy Torrens donated a marker stone and plaque commemorating the building that had long served the county’s needy poor.
bloomsbury (SC DIXON) says...
Another great tidbit of our area’s history…I’ve said it before, I really like these articles and would like to see more of them in the Gazette. In this age of Fox and CNN and the “24-hour news cycle,” much of our daily paper is “old news” by the time it appears in print. Of course this article is “old news” as well, but it teaches as well as informs. Thanks!
December 29, 2011 at 2:57 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Glitterbird (anonymous) says...
It would also be nice to add a couple of photos if they have them.
December 29, 2011 at 3:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slimbolen99 (anonymous) says...
Agreed. This is the type of article that the Emporia Gazette is going to succeed with. The national AP news isn't worth what they pay for it; it's old old news in today's world.
December 29, 2011 at 9:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Another agreement here. The Gazette needs to take the hint from these comments. These historic pieces are tremendously interesting, especially when they are told the way this one was, chilling in some places to know how the elderly unfortunates were treated.
What Thomas Butcher said at one dedication still rings true today,“There is no finer measure of the civilization of a people than the way in which they take care of those who are less fortunate than the main body of the citizenship.”
Many people today moan about taxation, but we've come a long way from the days of chaining people in basements.
December 30, 2011 at 7:34 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
YES A GOOD ARTICLE.
Yes we have come a long way from the days of chaining people in basements.
Now we are chaining them to the teat of the government.
December 30, 2011 at 8:47 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
46 MILLION ON FOOD STAMPS.
1 OUT OF 2 LIVING IN POVERTY.
December 30, 2011 at 8:49 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
b3bill (anonymous) says...
Jan Huston, another very interesting article! Thank you for your interest in researching so many historical facts about this area and writing about them. I'm looking forward to reading your next article.
Emporia Gazette, please keep printing Jan Huston's articles.
December 30, 2011 at 2:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
46 million on food stamps, yes, but if I were out of work and had no income, I'd apply for food stamps too so my family could at least have food to eat.
Steve, I hope you're not casting aspersions at the unfortunates who have lost their jobs and homes and must resort to using food stamps. Yes, some are frauds, but I firmly believe the larger number of them are genuinely in need and can use the help.
One of 2 living in poverty. Yes, sad statistic. But where are the jobs? Some open tiny little shops or food carts to make ends meet, but not everyone can do that.
On a side note, the Lucky House on 6th Avenue (where Yan Yan's used to be) is celebrating their 1 year anniversary. That is a great story of how people can put their noses to the grindstone and try to make a go of things. They are nice people and the food is great and served in very generous portions. I hope Emporians will give them a vote of confidence by calling in a take out order or going in for a sit-down lunch or dinner soon. Congratulations to them. I love their shrimp and vegetable platter. Excellent!
December 31, 2011 at 9:17 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
bubbadleroy (anonymous) says...
Create~ you ask,, "One of 2 living in poverty. Yes, sad statistic. But where are the jobs? "
You must have not been into WalMart, I mean China Mart, recently!!!! Every stinking thing in the store is made in China. Get rid of the unions and maybe manufacturers can afford to stay in the USA and build there products at a resonable price.
We are going to lose this country without a shot being fired from China.
Politicians! Bah Hum Bug!!
December 31, 2011 at 12:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
You're right, Bubba. I should have asked Where are the jobs IN THIS COUNTRY.
We keep buying those China-made goods though. Myself, I try not to, but it's difficult when Wal Mart is practically the only choice we have around here.
Also, workers need to realize that if they want to go back to work, they don't need to be working for those high dollar wages. That's what drove manufacturers away to begin with.
One example. All fabric is manufactured in Asia. I read recently where there is a company that plans to manufacture fabric in this country on the old mills that have been around for quite awhile. But already, they are finding out how expensive an undertaking it will be.
December 31, 2011 at 5:45 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )