DuBois County Poor Asylum

From Asylum Projects
Jump to: navigation, search
DuBois County Poor Asylum
Established 1861
Opened 1898 (Second location)
Current Status Demolished
Building Style Single Building
Location Ireland, IN



History

According to George Wilson's "History of Dubois County from its primitive days to 1910,"

"A poor farm was purchased in 1861. It was near the geographical center of the county. An asylum was erected on the farm, but it was destroyed by fire on a Sunday afternoon in the autumn of 1881.

The present asylum is situated on a splendid farm one-and-one-half miles south of Ireland, in Madison township. The building in the extreme measures ninety feet by one hundred twenty-nine. The structure is of brick, which were made upon the farm. The roof is of slate. The rooms- are all in hardwood finish. The building itself is trimmed with Bedford stone, and to the traveler upon the road a half mile away, it presents a pleasing, comfortable, and respectable picture, with a grove of original growth in the background.

The building is two stories high, with a large and commodious basement. The rooms of the superintendent are in the front center wing of the asylum ; the women's department is in the north wing, the men's in the south. The cooking department is in the west wing. The structure faces the east. Each sex has its own accommodations, stair-ways, and other necessary annexes.

The building is heated by steam. The ceiling throughout the building is of steel, thus reducing the probabilites of a disastrous fire to a minimum. The water for the entire building is pumped by means of a gasoline engine into a tank, which is placed in the garret. A spring is one hundred fifty feet north of the building. It is one of the finest in the entire county, and certainly in the western part. A stream of water that requires an eight inch pipe to carry it away flows constantly from the spring.

The building was erected in 189S, at a cost of $14,000. Hochgesang, Schmidt & Schuble were the contractors. The plan was drawn by M. F. Durlauf. The building has been extensively copied by other counties in Indiana. During the construction of the building, A. H. Koerner was county auditor, Joseph Fritz, Joseph Schroeder, and Conrad Jackie were the county commissioners.

This building is a credit to the county, and to August H. Koerner' s administration."[1]

Images of DuBois County Poor Asylum

Main Image Gallery: DuBois County Poor Asylum


References

  1. Wilson, G. (1910). History of Dubois County from its primitive days to 1910 (1st ed., p. 376). Jasper, Indiana: Independent.