Information Sheet

 

 

R            Morgan County Home and Infirmary.

121                  Papers, 1913-1973.

                                    One folder, photocopies.

 

 

 

These are specifications and historical accounts of the “Morgan County Home and Infir­mary,” or “poor farm,” near Versailles, Missouri.  Included are elevations and floor plans (1913) and three secondary accounts of “the Home’s” history (1968, 1969, and 1973).

 

The “Morgan County Home and Infirmary,” or “poor farm,” was built in 1913-1914, re­plac­ing a dilapidated structure at a different site.  Located one mile southeast of Versailles, the two-story, with basement, brick structure was contracted for in October 1913 and was oc­cupied the following August.  It provided room and board for the homeless poor, who often were also physi­cally handicapped or mentally ill.  Over time “the Home” was rendered super­fluous by changes in governmental welfare policies, and it was sold to a private owner for use as a resi­dence.  The Mor­gan County Home was quite large, featuring living quarters for the supervisor, men’s and women’s dormitories, and “Jim Crow” facilities.  Measuring an overall 41' x 80', it housed 10 to 15 residents under normal conditions.

 

This collection consists of four items:

 

“Specifications” -- Typed, detailed specifications for the construction of the building, “as fur­nished by G[eorge] N Sherman,” who became the contractor.  Included are elevations and floor plans.  This document was filed with the Clerk of Morgan County on 23 September 1913, with work to be completed by 1 June 1914.

 

“Old County Home Housed Our Indigents for Over 49 Years” -- Three-page, typed sum­mary of the history of “the Home,” written about 1968.

 

“Poor Farm Talk by Mrs. Doc. Otton” [Mrs. M. S. Otten] -- Notes for an oral report on the history of “the Home,” perhaps for delivery to the Morgan County Historical Society, ca. 1969.

 

Cindy Green, “The House That Poverty Built,” 1973 -- Research paper for an Ameri­can his­tory class at Versailles High School, providing a narrative account of the history of “the Home,” based upon newspaper accounts, the specifications, and interviews.

 

 

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