Miami County Poor Farm
| Miami County Poor Farm | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Established | 1835 |
| Opened | 1918 |
| Closed | 1975 |
| Current Status | Preserved |
| Building Style | Single Building |
| Location | Peru, IN |
| Architecture Style | Colonial Revival |
| Alternate Names | |
History
In May, 1835, the board of commissioners issued an order directing William N. Hood to purchase a tract of land in the northeast quarter of section 3, township 27, range 4, as a site for a county poor asylum. The price paid by the county was $20.80. Although the preliminary steps for the establishment of an asylum were taken in the purchase of this land, several years passed before anything further was done. There was no pressing need for such an institution, as there was plenty of work for all who were able to perform it. and the county revenues were not equal to the demand in the first few years of its history. About 1845 the commissioners appointed I. M. DeFrees and Samuel Glass to contract for and superintend the erection of two houses.
On April 2, 1864, the hoard of commissioners entered into a contract with John Clifton to erect a poor house on the premises and ordered that $350 be paid the said Clifton as part of the contract price of the building. On July 12, 1864, the board accepted the poor house as complete and ordered the payment of $310 as the balance due the contractor. The building erected at that time served as the county asylum for the poor until July 28, 1877, when a contract was made with Warn pier & Clifton to furnish all material (except the brick and stone foundation walls) and erected a poor asylum for the sum of $6,472.76.
Miami County Poor Farm was built in 1918 to serve the people of Peru and Miami County Indiana. The facility functioned as a county home until 1975. Currently, the single brick building with two garages is used as a residential building with two apartments.
There is a cemetery located 1/2 mile west on the south side of Indiana Route E 250 S. [1]
Images of Miami County Poor Farm
Main Image Gallery: Miami County Poor Farm
