Jackson County Poor House
| Jackson County Poor House | |
|---|---|
| Established | 1873 |
| Opened | 1877 |
| Closed | 1957 |
| Demolished | 2013 |
| Current Status | Demolished |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Carbondale, IL |
| Alternate Names |
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History
The Jackson County Poor Farm was established in 1873 on land that now lies within the boundaries of Southern Illinois University Carbondale. In the late nineteenth century, the farm sat on the outskirts of Carbondale surrounded by cultivated fields. By the early twentieth century, the physical condition of the farm had begun to deteriorate. Inspections documented overcrowded rooms, failing infrastructure, and unsanitary conditions. Improvements were made intermittently, usually in response to criticism rather than long-term planning. In 1915–1916, a new brick residence replaced earlier buildings, but even this structure represented compromise rather than full modernization.
The Jackson County Poor Farm became known as Sunset Haven during the 1940s when it was converted into a nursing home. The nursing home closed in 1957 and Southern Illinois University purchased the property to expand its agricultural program. During the 1970s, the university made an effort to locate all the unmarked graves of the dead that had been buried during Sunset Haven’s years as a poor farm. The graves are supposedly located in a grove of trees behind the building. Sometime later, the name was changed again, this time to the ‘Vivarium Annex,’ where sources say it was used for animal research. The building is currently abandoned, although emergency drills have been staged on the property. Sunset Haven was demolished in 2013.
