1876 History - Almshouse
The county owns the southeast quarter of section 36, township 16 north,
range 9 east, 160 acres of prairie about 2-1/2 miles east of the county seat
and has erected a large two-story frame building for an Alms House.
The final deed for the land was made by the I. C. R. R. in April 1871, to
Messrs. Sluss, Brown and Jones, the County Court, in pursuance of a contract
formerly made with them. The farm cost about $6,400, to which the value of
the buildings may be added.
The present lessee of the property agrees to board paupers at the rate of
$3.00 each per week, and to pay $3.80 per acre, per annum, for the land.
But few paupers are regularly at the Alms House, the greater number being
boarded by private parties at the expense of the county, and in some
instances the poor have been allowed a weekly stipend at their own homes,
which in many cases has been found to be more economical.
The pauper levy is from $3,000 to $4,000 per annum.
Extracted 11 Dec 2016 by Norma Hass from History of Douglas County, Illinois, Compiled by Order of the Board of Supervisors for the Centennial Anniversary of American Independence, July 4, 1876, page 20.
