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The role of Poor Farms in American history-
They called the people who stayed there "the unfortunates."
Communities took care of the destitute by warehousing them on poor farms, the common name for land set aside for paupers.
Throughout the Northeast, these institutions lasted for roughly 100 years before big government programs made them obsolete.
At these farms, which operated by government mandate from about 1850 to the early 1950's, lived those who could not, or did
not choose to take care of themselves. They were vagrants and drunks, the sick and the old, pregnant women, abandoned children,
the developmentally disabled, the mentally ill, and even criminals. Thrown together, the friendless and orphaned struggled
out of society's way. To end up there was considered shameful. Hense the old saying "If you're not careful, you'll end up
in the poorhouse!"
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