People queuing at S. Marylebone workhouse circa 1900
In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland),[1] ‘workhouse’ has been the more common term. Before the introduction of the Poor Laws, each parish would maintain its own workhouse; often these would be simple farms with the occupants dividing their time between working the farm and being employed on maintaining local roads and other parish works. An example of one such is Strand House in East Sussex. In the early Victorian era (see Poor Law), poverty was seen as a dishonourable state. As depicted by Charles Dickens, a workhouse could resemble a reformatory, often housing whole families, or a penal labour regime giving manual work to the indigent and subjecting them to physical punishment.[2] At many workhouses, men and women were split up with no communication between them. Furthermore, these workhouse systems were instituted under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834: The United Kingdom passed this act to attempt to cut expenditure on those in poverty, reduce the number of beggars on the street, and inspire lower-class people to work harder in order to better provide for themselves.[3]
In the United States, poorhouses were most common during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were often situated on the grounds of a poor farm on which able-bodied residents were required to work. A poorhouse could even be part of the same economic complex as a prison farm and other penal or charitable public institutions. Poor farms were county- or town-run residences where paupers (mainly elderly and disabled people) were supported at public expense. They were generally under the direction of one or more elected or appointed "Superintendent[s] of the Poor."
Most were working farms that produced at least some of the produce, grain, and livestock they consumed. Residents were expected to provide labor to the extent that their health would allow, both in the fields and in providing housekeeping and care for other residents. Rules were strict and accommodations minimal.
Poor farms were based on the U.S. tradition of county governments (rather than cities, townships, or state or federal governments) providing social services for the needy within their borders. Following the 1854 veto of the Bill for the Benefit of the Indigent Insane by Franklin Pierce, the federal government did not participate in social welfare for over 70 years.
The poor farms declined in the U.S. after the Social Security Act took effect in 1935, with most disappearing completely by about 1950. Since the 1970s, funding for the care, well-being and safety of the poor and indigent is now split among county, state and federal resources. Poor farms have been replaced by subsidized housing such as public housing projects, Section 8 housing and homeless shelters.
Canada
In Canada, the poorhouse, with an attached farm, was the favoured model. According to a 2009 report by the Toronto Star, "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work".[4] The oldest government-supported facility of this type that is still standing (now a museum), is located in Southern Ontario between Fergus and Elora. The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge was opened in 1877 and, over the years, housed approximately 1500 deserving poor, including those who were destitute, old and infirm, or disabled. The 60-bed house for inmates was surrounded by a 30-acre industrial farm with a barn for livestock that produced some of the food for the 70 residents and the staff and also provided work for them.[5] Others worked in the House itself. A hospital was added in 1892. The nearby cemetery has 271 plots.[6] In 1947, the House was converted into a home for the aged and in 1975 the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives, one of the National Historic Sites of Canada.[7]
Gallery
Women and children in St. Louis Poor House, 1904
Male Pauper Barracks in St. Louis Poor House,1904
German Poor house, 1854 - The Garden Arbor
Concrete Sewer Blocks made at the Halifax Poor Asylum
Russian Poor house, Unknown date
New York City Farm Colony “inmates” at meal time, 1904
Murals in workroom of the New York City Farm Colony, 1938
^Blakemore, Erin. "Poorhouses Were Designed to Punish People for Their Poverty". HISTORY. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
^Archives, The National. "The National Archives - Homepage". The National Archives. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
^Tyler, Tracey (January 3, 2009). "When 'poorhouse' wasn't only an expression". Toronto Star. Toronto. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
^"Handout - The House of Industry and Industrial Farm" (PDF). Wellington County Museum and Archives. Wellington County, Ontario. June 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2017. The House of Industry and the Bank Barn were built in 1877. The House of Industry and Refuge or "Poor House" provided a home for the "deserving poor" of Wellington County. The Barn and Industrial Farm were an important part of the House. The Farm grew produce and livestock to feed the inmates (residents) and staff at the House. The Farm also provided work or "industry" for the inmates. In the 19th century, Industrial Farms were a vital part of public institutions like hospitals, prisons, asylums and Houses of Refuge.
^Fergus-Elora News Express (July 5, 2016). "Meet the ghosts of Wellington County's Poor House in Elora". Spectator. Hamilton, Ontario. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
^"Historical Plaques of Wellington County - Plaque 17, The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge". Historical Plaques of Wellington County. Wayne Cook. 2015. Retrieved March 13, 2017. This is the earliest surviving example of an important 19th century institution, the government-supported poorhouse. Erected in 1877, it was the shelter of last resort for the homeless and destitute, who traded spartan accommodations for domestic or agricultural labour. With changing attitudes and the introduction of alternative forms of social assistance, its function shifted to the care of the elderly and infirmed and additions were built to respond to their special needs. Closed in 1971, this building, and its history, illustrate the Victorian roots of the 20th-century social security system in Canada.
Further reading
Katz, Michael B. (1996). In the Shadow Of the Poorhouse: A Social History Of Welfare In America. New York: Basic Books. ISBN978-0465032105.
Rothman, David J., (editor). "The Almshouse Experience", in series Poverty U.S.A.: The Historical Record, 1971. ISBN0-405-03092-4
Sweeney, Ed. (1927). Poorhouse Sweeney - Life in a County Poorhouse, with a foreword by Theodore Dreiser. New York: Bony & Liveright.
Wagner, David (2005). The Poorhouse: America's Forgotten Institution. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN978-0742529458.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poorhouses.
Workhouses in and around Bures, Suffolk, by Alan Beales
McLean County, Illinois Poor Farm Finding Aid
A study of Kansas poor farms / by Kansas Emergency Relief Committee (1935)
March 14, 2023
poorhouse, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, march, 2011, lea. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Poorhouse news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2011 Learn how and when to remove this template message A poorhouse or workhouse is a government run usually by a county or municipality facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy Contents 1 Workhouses 2 Poor farms 2 1 United States 2 2 Canada 3 Gallery 4 See also 5 References 6 Further reading 7 External linksWorkhouses Edit People queuing at S Marylebone workhouse circa 1900In England Wales and Ireland but not in Scotland 1 workhouse has been the more common term Before the introduction of the Poor Laws each parish would maintain its own workhouse often these would be simple farms with the occupants dividing their time between working the farm and being employed on maintaining local roads and other parish works An example of one such is Strand House in East Sussex In the early Victorian era see Poor Law poverty was seen as a dishonourable state As depicted by Charles Dickens a workhouse could resemble a reformatory often housing whole families or a penal labour regime giving manual work to the indigent and subjecting them to physical punishment 2 At many workhouses men and women were split up with no communication between them Furthermore these workhouse systems were instituted under the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 The United Kingdom passed this act to attempt to cut expenditure on those in poverty reduce the number of beggars on the street and inspire lower class people to work harder in order to better provide for themselves 3 Poor farms Edit Frederick County Poor Farm in Virginia United States United States Edit In the United States poorhouses were most common during the 19th and early 20th centuries They were often situated on the grounds of a poor farm on which able bodied residents were required to work A poorhouse could even be part of the same economic complex as a prison farm and other penal or charitable public institutions Poor farms were county or town run residences where paupers mainly elderly and disabled people were supported at public expense They were generally under the direction of one or more elected or appointed Superintendent s of the Poor Most were working farms that produced at least some of the produce grain and livestock they consumed Residents were expected to provide labor to the extent that their health would allow both in the fields and in providing housekeeping and care for other residents Rules were strict and accommodations minimal Poor farms were based on the U S tradition of county governments rather than cities townships or state or federal governments providing social services for the needy within their borders Following the 1854 veto of the Bill for the Benefit of the Indigent Insane by Franklin Pierce the federal government did not participate in social welfare for over 70 years The poor farms declined in the U S after the Social Security Act took effect in 1935 with most disappearing completely by about 1950 Since the 1970s funding for the care well being and safety of the poor and indigent is now split among county state and federal resources Poor farms have been replaced by subsidized housing such as public housing projects Section 8 housing and homeless shelters Canada Edit In Canada the poorhouse with an attached farm was the favoured model According to a 2009 report by the Toronto Star pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work 4 The oldest government supported facility of this type that is still standing now a museum is located in Southern Ontario between Fergus and Elora The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge was opened in 1877 and over the years housed approximately 1500 deserving poor including those who were destitute old and infirm or disabled The 60 bed house for inmates was surrounded by a 30 acre industrial farm with a barn for livestock that produced some of the food for the 70 residents and the staff and also provided work for them 5 Others worked in the House itself A hospital was added in 1892 The nearby cemetery has 271 plots 6 In 1947 the House was converted into a home for the aged and in 1975 the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives one of the National Historic Sites of Canada 7 Gallery Edit Women and children in St Louis Poor House 1904 Male Pauper Barracks in St Louis Poor House 1904 German Poor house 1854 The Garden Arbor Concrete Sewer Blocks made at the Halifax Poor Asylum Russian Poor house Unknown date New York City Farm Colony inmates at meal time 1904 Murals in workroom of the New York City Farm Colony 1938 Women in Poor House Five Nations Poor House ca 1918See also EditAlmshouse Low income housing Scottish poorhouse Homeless shelterReferences Edit The Workhouse in Scotland Blakemore Erin Poorhouses Were Designed to Punish People for Their Poverty HISTORY Retrieved 2021 04 21 Archives The National The National Archives Homepage The National Archives Retrieved 2020 11 19 Tyler Tracey January 3 2009 When poorhouse wasn t only an expression Toronto Star Toronto Retrieved March 13 2017 Handout The House of Industry and Industrial Farm PDF Wellington County Museum and Archives Wellington County Ontario June 2013 Retrieved March 13 2017 The House of Industry and the Bank Barn were built in 1877 The House of Industry and Refuge or Poor House provided a home for the deserving poor of Wellington County The Barn and Industrial Farm were an important part of the House The Farm grew produce and livestock to feed the inmates residents and staff at the House The Farm also provided work or industry for the inmates In the 19th century Industrial Farms were a vital part of public institutions like hospitals prisons asylums and Houses of Refuge Fergus Elora News Express July 5 2016 Meet the ghosts of Wellington County s Poor House in Elora Spectator Hamilton Ontario Retrieved March 13 2017 Historical Plaques of Wellington County Plaque 17 The Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge Historical Plaques of Wellington County Wayne Cook 2015 Retrieved March 13 2017 This is the earliest surviving example of an important 19th century institution the government supported poorhouse Erected in 1877 it was the shelter of last resort for the homeless and destitute who traded spartan accommodations for domestic or agricultural labour With changing attitudes and the introduction of alternative forms of social assistance its function shifted to the care of the elderly and infirmed and additions were built to respond to their special needs Closed in 1971 this building and its history illustrate the Victorian roots of the 20th century social security system in Canada Further reading EditKatz Michael B 1996 In the Shadow Of the Poorhouse A Social History Of Welfare In America New York Basic Books ISBN 978 0465032105 Rothman David J editor The Almshouse Experience in series Poverty U S A The Historical Record 1971 ISBN 0 405 03092 4 Sweeney Ed 1927 Poorhouse Sweeney Life in a County Poorhouse with a foreword by Theodore Dreiser New York Bony amp Liveright Wagner David 2005 The Poorhouse America s Forgotten Institution Rowman amp Littlefield ISBN 978 0742529458 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Poorhouses Jack London s firsthand account of life and poorhouses in the 1902 East End of London Workhouses in and around Bures Suffolk by Alan Beales McLean County Illinois Poor Farm Finding Aid A study of Kansas poor farms by Kansas Emergency Relief Committee 1935 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Poorhouse amp oldid 1140458365, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
