In 1880, as Henry County's leaders recognized a burgeoning population facing impoverishment, including widowed mothers, struggling men, and elderly individuals without family support, the Board of Commissioners responded by establishing a refuge called the Poor Farm. The county began renting a piece of farm property within the outskirts of the City of McDonough to house these individuals, the county placed the care of this establishment onto Mr. Hamp Bryans. During the1880 April term of the Henry County Superior Court the Grand Jury of Henry County reported the following on the county poor farm:
The committee appointed to visit the poor farm report that they find eight inmates at the present time-- six white and two colored. All seem to be well satisfied and pleased with the superintendent, Mr. Smith. The premises have undergone thorough repair. The stock of the farm are looking well and in good condition. There are plenty of supplies, except meat, for the farm the present year . The Superintendent seems to have his work well in hand, and is going ahead with hearty good will. This committee is impressed that the right man is in the right place.
The Grand Jury also added multiple individuals to be added to the paupers list and eventual lodging at the poor farm: Mary Fernanda, Isaiah Mila,, Mary Lyons, Mrs. Grayden and Susan Walker.
An anonymous citizen then had this to say about the poor farm:
....And then, too , the county needs a good well conducted poor farm, where the helpless poor of the county can be made comfortable and measurably happy in their sorrowful afflictions. Christianity, humanity and true civilization demands that the county take care of its poor in a humane manner, by providing for all their reasonable wants, religiously, physically and morally. This can only be done by having a Board of Commissioners, composed of the very best men in the county-men with big hears, sound judgment, and enlarged progressive views on all questions looking to the building up of our county in every essential particular. See how our poor farm was managed under the old system, First, at a heavy expense a farm was purchased, run a few years in the most ********* manner, then sold for less than half of its original cost, (so I am informed,) and now another is rented.
This article delves into the history of a financially struggling farm that predates the current one, recounting a narrative of mismanagement and hardship. Unfortunately, the precise date of the establishment of this initial farm remains elusive, adding an element of intrigue to the story of its inception.
This 2nd formation of the Poor Farm soon reached it's demise when the following was published in the Henry County Weekly:
Ordered that the Henry County Poor Farm be advertised for sale the first Tuesday in April.
This sale of the poor farm was a brief hiatus for the institution but then in 1885, the Henry County Board of Commissioners issued the following minutes:
The County Board contemplates the establishment of a poor farm at the July term. This action is necessitated by the unprecedented increase of applications for county aid. The annual expense for support of paupers is be between twelve and fifteen hundred dollars now, and if the increase is kept up in the same ratio for the next two years, $2,500 per annum will be required for this purpose. A thorough examination into the matter has satisfied the Board that this expense can be greatly reduced by the establishment of a poor farm.
In 1889, the following report was issued by the Grand Jury:
The committee appointed by the last Grand Jury to purchase a Poor Farm, would respectfully inform your Honorable body, that they have purchased the farm of John W. Maxwell, lying one mile west of McDonough on the Hampton road, containing one hundred and twenty acres, and paid therefor the sum of $1,200; six hundred payable this fall and balance being six hundred dollars to be paid December 1st, 1892, with interest at 8 percent per annum, to be paid yearly. We have purchased material for the buildings, to be paid for by the 1 of November next. We have employed S.E. Dailey to have three new tenant houses erected, and a House with four rooms for the superintendent. Mr. Dailey is to hire work men, and hands to do the work by day labor, keeping an itemized statement of all expenditures. We agree to pay Mr. Dailey $1.50 per day for his services We have employed Mr. Pope as Superintendent for the year. The buildings and arrangements will be ready by the 1 of January 1800. We can not make a full and intelligible report until the work is completed and the bills paid. Supt. Pope is to receive $200 per annum for his services, for looking after the paupers. He rents the farm, giving a third and a fourth of the crops.
The County Ordinary's Office issued the following directive in 1889:
The Poor Farm will be ready to receive paupers, who are entitled under the law, to be supported by county aid. On the 1st day of January 1890. An all persons are hereby notified, that any person to receive any benefit from the Pauper Fund of Henry County must go to the said farm and remain there, under such regulations, and rules, as provided by law, else they will receive no aid from the Pauper Fund of Said County.
In 1890, Superintendent Pope led the farm into full production, cultivating crops to sustain residents and generate income. He actively communicated with the community through the Henry County Weekly, urging responsible livestock care for upcoming planting. Pope's dedication earned praise from local newspapers, highlighting his strong work ethic, benevolence, and positive impact on the farm and community relations.
The farm continued to grow adding more cottages and began to take care of a growing population. The Reverend J.E. Rosser began to hold prayer sessions at the poor farm for its growing amount of residents. The success of the farm began to increase so much that there was even talk of possibly building a school on the farm property for younger people who had been added to the paupers list. The county then decided that there was a need for an attending physician be appointed for the poor farm. In 1894, the Grand Jury officially appointed Eli Copeland as the Superintendent of the County Poor Farm. In 1896, it is recorded that a Mr. Sam Coker was appointed as superintendent.
This haven provided care for residents until their circumstances improved or until their passing.
Originally known as the Pauper's Farm, the Board allocated a portion of county taxes to sustain the property and support its inhabitants. The Grand Jury, responsible for ensuring the well-being of those on the farm, conducted regular inspections to verify compliance with established standards for all residents.[1]
The Poor Farm then became a quarantine area in 1902 when Lyman Zachry, a local African American telephone line man was diagnosed with smallpox.
In 1908, N.A. Woodward was appointed superintendent.
In 1909, the Grand Jury was asked by the Henry County public to recommend the sale of the poor farm, possibly due to dilapidated conditions, but the report does not say the exact reasons. the Grand Jury agreed with these sentiments and recommended that a new farm be purchased further away from McDonough.
For over 50 years, the facility, commonly referred to as the County Farm, fulfilled its mission. By the 1920 census, however, the number of residents had dwindled to three individuals, all senior citizens, with one remarkable individual reaching the age of 100. The Grand Jury continued overseeing the Pauper's list for Henry County, and until the early 1930s, the property continued to house residents. The gradual decline began in 1935 when President Franklin Roosevelt enacted the Social Security Act, reducing the necessity for such institutions.
In 1947, without explicit reasons provided, the Board of Commissioners voted to relocate all pauper farm residents to a new location. This historical shift marked the conclusion of an era in which the County Farm served as both a refuge and a reflection of societal efforts to address the welfare of its vulnerable members while underscoring the need for inclusive care provisions.
RECORDED MEMBERS OF THE POOR FARM:
Ms. Liz Henderson
The Bunn Family
Hiram Lester
Christy Campbell
Avy Barnett
Thomas Adams
Mrs. Kemp
Mitt Tomlinson (Removed by Grand Jury of 1896)
Thomas Adams (Removed from Poor Farm and given county support at home)
Ms. Mary Mosely (nee Lester)
Martha Ried (Reid?)
Mrs. Clay Dunn & her son
Unidentified Man from Mississppi
Alice Cook
Lyman Zachry (Quarantined on the poor farm with Smallpox)
Ben Harper, former enslaved member on the Harper Plantation.
[1]: Hiram Lester, reportedly Henry County's oldest citizen recorded, was a famous resident of the pauper's farm. please refer to my other post on Hiram Lester for more information.
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