In 1824 New York state enacted a law that established county poorhouses or almshouses. Essentially these were to provide a place for those without homes or anyone to care for them nor the means to look after themselves, and had nowhere else to go. Child beggars under the age of 15 could also be sent there and instructed in labor until they could be self-supporting. County supervisors appointed a superintendent to run the poorhouse. Town overseers could send paupers who had applied for relief to the poorhouse. The towns collected a tax to pay the fees for the individuals that they sent there. Inmates would work to cover the cost of their support. Many poorhouses established farms to make them more self-sufficient.

Tina and I have taken an interest in county poorhouses and their associated cemeteries. We have made it our mission to visit each one to see what, if anything, remains. There are 62 counties in New York and we have visited 20 of their poorhouses. This venture has been an eye opener. Although there are many more to discover, we have seen enough to establish a general theme for what the rest have in store for us. We would like to share some of those findings with you.

The first thing we uncovered is how little information is available about the poorhouses or pictures of the buildings. It wasn’t until 1875 that the state formally required the poorhouse superintendents to maintain records on individual inmates and send copies to the state. It has been a struggle to find information online. Perhaps better results could be obtained by visiting local historical societies, but many are closed due to the pandemic.

We were surprised to see how little remains of the poorhouses. In eight counties we found that no poorhouse buildings remain. In three counties, the remaining buildings are in a slow state of decay. It was encouraging to see that in the other nine counties the buildings were re-purposed at least, some now office buildings or apartments and in the case of Chenango County, an adult assisted living center. In Schoharie County the former large, brick poorhouse is a Russian Orthodox religious center.

Many of the original poorhouses were built right after the 1824 law was passed. Of course, most of the buildings met their demise long ago and were rebuilt over the years. The Madison County poorhouse complex remains the most intact. With the original 1828 date over the door and the barn across the road, it is the best example of times gone by. We feel that Cattaraugus County has an original poorhouse in use as well.

The Chenango County Poorhouse was rebuilt in 1890 after a fire completely destroyed the asylum and poorhouse buildings. Thirteen women perished in the fire. They were likely locked in their cells and had no chance of escape. A Los Angeles newspaper headline of the day states, “Helpless Idiots Cremated.”

The farm buildings associated with the poorhouses have not fared well, either. In 12 counties we found no buildings at all. In one case the smaller outbuildings had pretty much collapsed and were rotting away with no sign of the larger barn. In Ulster County the structures had been absorbed into the county fair complex.

In Delaware County, on Arbor Hill Road in Delhi, we find some farm buildings that are still being used for some purpose. The original poorhouse burned in 1862 and was rebuilt soon after. Its beautiful replacement was demolished in 1963 but you can still see where it once stood. Gabrielle Pierce, Delaware County Historian, did a presentation for the Historical Association on it a few years ago and did an excellent job. Some people attended that had worked there and they shared their experiences.

The next area of study were the poorhouse cemeteries. Our first question was, “How many had signs?” We were surprised and dismayed to find that five had no signs whatsoever. Three had granite monuments to mark their location, and one had a map for the area showing where the cemetery was. As for markers, ten had only numbered stones – marble or some kind of man-made material. Only a few places had any gravestones with some initials/names/dates. Five locations had no stones, just a sign or granite marker showing where the cemetery had been.

In Greene County we couldn’t locate a cemetery or find any sign. We decided to do some exploring. The old poorhouse building does exist as an office building now. Through the woods and across the creek from that building we found a wooded knoll. On top of that hill, we saw a stonewall that went around a fairly large area. Inside the area we found what we thought were three primitive gravestones, but couldn’t find any other evidence of a burial ground. Many cemeteries are getting minimal care although we did see several that were recently receiving some attention after much neglect.

A few cemeteries, by their size or signs, reflect over 100 years of burials, but so many cemeteries were small and represented just a narrow period in time compared to the long existence of the facilities. Where were all the other people buried? 

We did have some noteworthy finds. Wyoming County has a beautiful sign with a picture of the poorhouse at the top of it and wonderfully landscaped and manicured grounds. In Allegany County, we found the stones had been pulled up from a now-vacant field and reset around an area that had a boulder and cross. That certainly made the area easier to mow! In Ulster County we didn’t find any gravestones but there is now a pool in its place. There is a bronze statue of an old woman that represents all that were buried there, as well as some informational displays.

Our favorite cemetery had an old, dilapidated sign, “County of Chemung Cemetery,” established 1837 and closed 1934. Behind the sign was a wooded knoll that had once been cleared of trees with a view of the poorhouse down the road. Most gravestones had initials and numbers, but some had full names and dates. Around the cemetery, in concentric circles up the knoll, people had been laid to rest in this serene location.

Chenango County’s poorhouse cemetery is one we are intimately familiar with. When we first visited it in 2013 it was just a jumble of weeds, shrubs, grapevines, rose bushes, berry brambles and small trees. It was nearly impossible to see any gravestones. Five years later, with the help of friends and family, we had it cleared and started mowing parts of it. The poorhouse cemetery is part of an old local cemetery in which we find about five engraved stones. The bulk of it is 150 numbered stones and about 80 primitives, probably the most intact poorhouse cemetery that we have seen.

The Delaware County Home Cemetery has a wonderful bronze plaque attached to a piece of bluestone that states: Burials 1831-1956, 376 unmarked graves and five World War I Veterans. The cemetery is on the hill behind this sign. We found a few numbered stones and many sunken graves in this neglected piece of ground.

Several years ago, Tina attended an auction in Guilford and had the winning bid on a Delaware County Poor House expense book of Aaron Darlin, dated 1854. She was determined this piece of history would remain locally and subsequently donated it to the Walton Historical Society. The book was interesting in its misspellings and the type of items procured. For example: Dec11 “to pare booties,” and numerous receipts referred to “lethar” shoes, either making or repairing them. On the inside cover it noted “Red’d Dec 3 ’59 – 12 dollars on Morenus, Nate.” Another entry noted on April 12 – “7 cords of wood were purchased.” Many names were listed.

By most accounts, conditions in the early poorhouses were atrocious. Primary concerns were overcrowding, insufficient food, sleeping on the floor and little heat. Of course, conditions varied with each institution. Poorhouse residents might come and go seasonally, working “on the outside” during good weather and then returning for the winter.

The reasons people were admitted were varied and most often sad: feeble minded, old age, decrepitude, intemperate, immoral, crippled, blind, frozen feet, TB, and found on streets, to name a few. One Greene County’s admittee’s record stated “lack of judgment” and another mentioned “no friends to help.” One woman told the staff that her husband had run away. Another was in the “family way” and her husband was in jail. On one form was the query “Able to get out?” The answers ranged from, “It will depend on his children to whom he has written,” to flatly stating, “they will probably die here.” One description read – “He is an old soldier.”

Back in the early 1800s, there was a need for these institutions and they were the only places for many of life’s unfortunate people to go. They evolved over time and were valuable assets to the community for many years, although the conditions in some left lots of room for improvement. With the advent of other social institutions and programs and especially the use of drugs to treat psychological issues, their need slowly disappeared.