County Home- Owen County

This page updated February 23, 2007

The Owen County Poor Farm is located in Clay Township of Owen County, Indiana.

Source: Owen County Indiana ~ a history ~ 1994"The Owen County Home in Clay Township on State Road 43 was built in 1878. An earlier facility, known as the County Asylum or Poor Farm, was built about 1860 two miles down river from Spencer on State Road 67. It was a two story frame building, large enough, but by 1878 not large enough. The County traded that former Tornmy Howe farm for 395 acres known as the Col. John Franklin farm and let a contract to William F. Mcgenhardt to build a brick County Asylum for a cost of $8,000. The earlier house is still standing in good repair, and is the home of Bill Edwards. The outward appearance of the 1 878 brick County Home, a pleasant well-maintained facility, has changed little over the years. The property no longer functions as a working farm, and the barn and other outbuildings have been torn down. Sixteen people reside at the County Home in 1994."As of today, 12-20-2000, the home is still active. The county just authorized maintaining the home after much "debate"!

As much of the information regarding the residents of the home is coming in piecemeal, I felt that the chart below listing various years would be the best way to present these. Years will be added as soon as they become available.