County Home- Morgan County

This page updated March 3, 2007

The Morgan County Poor Farm is located in Washington Township of Morgan County, Indiana.

Bankruptcy was not uncommon during the nineteenth-century, when people sacrificed every penny they had for a piece of land to farm or to put themselves up in business. It was customary to "farm-out" paupers in the county to the highest bidder. The lucky ones fell into the hands of Christian people, the others into barbarious hands.This practice would continue until the first poor-farm was purchased on March 22, 1844. The farm was bought from Enoch Graham for $1200 and contained 120 on Sections 25, 26, and 27 in Township 12 north. A superintendent was placed in charge of the farm and number of the county poor were taken there. A physician was employed there by the year and was referred to as the "County Physician". This particular poor farm continued until 1869 when it was sold to Michael Hammon in July of 1869. A new farm was purchased for about $12,000. In 1870, the Morgan County poor farm with its 50-imate "Asylum" was completed at a cost of $38,682,08 providing the down and out an honest home.

Some Poor Farm Superintendents:

G.W. Preston, 1867 (20 inmates); Sampson C. Voyles, 1868(31 inmates); Charles Day, 1870-1875; William H. Dryden, 1876-1878; J. W. Duncan, 1879; Sylvester Jackson, 1880; George W. Walker, 1881-1883