Allamakee County Home: Difference between revisions
Created page with "{{infobox institution | name = Allamakee County Home | image = | image_size = 250px | alt = | caption = | established = | construction_began = | construction_ended = | opened = 1866 | closed = 2013 | demolished = 2015 | current_status = Demolished | building_style = Single Building | architect(s) = | location = Waukon, MO | architecture_style = | peak_patient_population = | alternate_names = <br> *Make..." |
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Latest revision as of 20:16, 15 May 2026
| Allamakee County Home | |
|---|---|
| Opened | 1866 |
| Closed | 2013 |
| Demolished | 2015 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Waukon, MO |
| Alternate Names |
|
History
Allamakee County's first settler, Irishman Patrick Keenan from Dublin, built a log cabin there in 1848. By 1856 the land was owned by Joseph Burton, who in that year built a substantial home, 29 by 37 feet, to which he later added. Burton sold the property to the County in October of 1866 for $4,000 and the home was raised to two stories, becoming the County Home. Tragedy struck the County Home late in January 1880 when a fire destroyed the renovated Burton home. A temporary structure was erected to house the residents until a new County Home could be built. At a cost upwards of $5,000, a two-story brick structure, 38 by 40 feet, was built at the site in 1881 but that building too was destroyed by fire a few years later, and was then rebuilt into separate men’s and women’s dormitories. Seemingly plagued by fire, the County Home again fell victim to a blaze in 1933.
In 1935 construction on the main building of the current structure began, and was completed by the close of the decade. In 1976 the facility was expanded to its current size, and in 1997 it was remodeled. The Allamakee County Care Facility served as a residential home for the mentally handicapped, indigent, and elderly, where they received medical care, board, and some supervision. With the County Care Facility privatizing as a non-profit corporation in 1991, adopting the name Makee Manor, it allowed the residents eligibility under Title XIX, relieving some of the financial burden from the County taxpayers.
By March of 2013, the Allamakee County Board of Supervisors was informed by the Makee Manor Board of Directors that the facility would be terminating operations April 17, 2013. The Board of Supervisors made an effort to sell the facility, but eventually came to the conclusion that the building itself was more of a liability than an asset.
