Livingston County House

Livingston County House: 4222 Lakeville Rd, Geneseo, NY 14454, USA

According to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the Livingston County House was established in 1829. The first Livingston County poorhouse is believed to have been located on the south side of Route 20a. Gradually as the population of the county increased, the original poorhouse became inadequate to accommodate the growing number of impoverished residents.” (William G. Pomeroy Foundation, 2020). This establishment has been around for nearly 195 years. Throughout the years this place has had multiple transitions. Originally, Livingston was used for housing for the elderly, orphans, the mentally ill individuals, and for anyone who was not able to work. The building, Livingston, was structured in different sections. On the lower level there was an education section and a wash hose and shoe shop. Then, on the next floor above there was an asylum for women who dealt with mental illness. Throughout the lifetime of Livingston, it held a cemetery of hundreds of deceased people, of whom mainly had unmarked graves, until a law was passed that made marking graves as a requirement. During 1868 there was a fire that occurred in the poor house. The building completely burned down. After the fire Livingston continued to expand their farmland, which produced “livestock, crops, and fruit trees (Poorhouse / County Home | Livingston County, NY - Official Website, 2018). By 1925, Livingston was producing eggs and butter for sale. Livingston continued to grow and thrive as they increased their acres of farmland. In 1989, “The three brick buildings were sold and the center building was remodeled to operate as the Oak Valley Inn” (Poorhouse / County Home | Livingston County, NY - Official Website, 2018).

References:

Livingston County | NY. (2018). Poorhouse / County Home | Livingston County, NY - Official Website. Livingstoncounty.us. https://www.livingstoncounty.us/1299/Poorhouse

William G. Pomeroy Foundation. (2020, December 9). COUNTY POORHOUSE | William G. Pomeroy Foundation. William G. Pomeroy Foundation. https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/county-poorhouse/