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Description
Once upon a time in America there were institutions called "poorhouses". If you couldn't support yourself, this is where you ended up. You were called not a resident, but an inmate. Some had mental problems, while others had suffered a sudden reversal of fortune and had no family or friends to help them. Many were elderly and infirm. Most thought the poor and needy to be lazy and wicked. Mental illness was considered by many the evidence of a sinful life. To be sent to the poorhouse was considered a shameful thing by society. However, the inmates (residents) for the most part, were not mistreated by the standards of the day. Many of the workers were dedicated individuals and some church groups were active in helping out. Overall, though, it was a time of great neglect in our country of those in need. I had a great grandfather who ended up in a poorhouse and it is something that has been pretty much left out of our family history.

I took this photo while driving the backroads of Michigan, 11-20-21. It's the former Van Buren County Poorhouse which was built in 1884 to replace the original building which was built in 1866, but was destroyed by fire. Operated by the county, it was used until 1952, when it was replaced by the current social services system. Today it houses the Van Buren County Historical Museum.

Description
Once upon a time in America there were institutions called "poorhouses". If you couldn't support yourself, this is where you ended up. You were called not a resident, but an inmate. Some had mental problems, while others had suffered a sudden reversal of fortune and had no family or friends to help them. Many were elderly and infirm. Most thought the poor and needy to be lazy and wicked. Mental illness was considered by many the evidence of a sinful life. To be sent to the poorhouse was considered a shameful thing by society. However, the inmates (residents) for the most part, were not mistreated by the standards of the day. Many of the workers were dedicated individuals and some church groups were active in helping out. Overall, though, it was a time of great neglect in our country of those in need. I had a great grandfather who ended up in a poorhouse and it is something that has been pretty much left out of our family history.

I took this photo while driving the backroads of Michigan, 11-20-21. It's the former Van Buren County Poorhouse which was built in 1884 to replace the original building which was built in 1866, but was destroyed by fire. Operated by the county, it was used until 1952, when it was replaced by the current social services system. Today it houses the Van Buren County Historical Museum.