Going Greene: A Hunt for History

Brick by brick, historic buildings share their stories to anyone willing to listen. Maintaining an old structure amplifies its voice and can flood an individual with glimpses into the past.

The old Almshouse, also referred to as the County Home or Poorhouse, that is now the site of the Greene County Historical Society Museum is no exception. Each room contains memories of souls from the past and weaves together a narrative that brings the not-so-forgotten experiences of Greene County back to life with each artifact in every room and the very fabric of the building itself. Occasionally these flashes of the past are augmented with detailed accounts that expand history and provide the human aspect of what life was like in times long gone.

The staff at the Greene County Historical Society Museum is always searching for more information on what life was like for the “inmates” that once called this majestic old building home when it was the County Home. Recently, an avalanche of information, accounts and reports were found that give a full view of what life was like inside the walls of this sometimes-tragic facility.

The history of public care of the aged, infirm, and mentally and physically disabled people in this country had its ups and downs; when looking at it from a modern perspective, many of the methods and conditions used in the early days are often considered barbaric, insensitive and just plain bad.  However, there was always a positive intent in the establishment and administration of almshouses, poorhouses, asylums and other such public institutions. Generally, they all started out well but due to an increasing need for space and a lack of medical and psychological knowledge, these homes for the destitute were often overcrowded. Lack of public funding often made these problems worse.

The Greene County Almshouse, when first established in 1861, was built to house 40-50 residents, or Inmates, as they were referred to at the time. The main portion of the building on the first floor contained rooms for the steward and his wife and a large dining room. Above were apartments for the inmates, as well as a sewing room and a storeroom; the site of the original sewing room is now the sewing/spinning room as set up by the Greene County Historical Society museum. The back section contained nine residence rooms on the first floor and a large kitchen with ten resident rooms on the second floor above.

Waynesburg newspapers report that in 1863 and 1867, grand juries were sent to inspect the living conditions at the almshouse. They found it in exceptionally good condition and the inmates in good spirits, describing, “The Paupers, of whom there are quite a number of all descriptions and conditions, seemed to be as contented and happy in their different apartments as though they were heirs to the manor born.” Elijah Adams was steward during this time and in charge of the almshouse and surrounding farmland. It was said that “much of this contentment is attributable to the kindness and good management of the keeper, Mr. Elijah Adams and his amiable and agreeable family, improvements on the farm are rapidly being made and everything gives evidence that the institution will prove every way satisfactory.”

Beginning in 1871, the Pennsylvania Board of Commissioners of the Public Charities began inspecting asylums, almshouses, and other public charitable institutions throughout the commonwealth. 1871 came with a good report citing that, “An outhouse had been built to serve as a coal house, wood house, bake shop and a well house and with few improvements could be considered one of the best almshouses in the state.” For breakfast, the inmates were served tea or coffee, bread and meat, dinner (in the 19th century, this term often referred to lunch) the same, with the addition of soup, and supper was bread and tea. When the inmates were sick, they were treated in their rooms by a physician employed by the Almshouse. 45 inmates were living in the almshouse at the time, with some entire families sharing small multiroom apartments. 

Unfortunately, such good reports did not last and the 1875 report tells a very different story. The population of the building had doubled; steward Elijah Adams was doing the best that he could with what he had, but overcrowding had become a major issue. By this time, the attic had been converted into living accommodations, a long room with one window and eight beds lining the wall, and a home for 16 of the male residents. The ventilation was poor, and the structure was becoming dilapidated and infested with mice and vermin. And the institution was filling with “insane” persons. Insanity, and emotional problems, were something the almshouse was never designed to handle, and this became an increasing problem.   

Conditions would not improve for many years, especially when it came to the care and treatment of the insane. The population of the almshouse continued to rise and the number of the insane being treated there continued to increase. The early 1880s brought a movement to remove “insane persons” from almshouses and place them in facilities that were better suited to treat them for their various conditions.

In 1884, all the insane persons were removed from the Greene County Almshouse; many were sent to Dixmont State Hospital in Pittsburgh and a few to Polk School. This was only a temporary mitigation effort; conditions in the building were still bad, and there were plenty of paupers to take the place of the transferred insane persons. In 1885, there was a movement to condemn the building and build a new facility elsewhere on the property. Plans for a new structure were developed and approved by the state, but never came to fruition. It was ultimately decided to build a new wing that would provide indoor plumbing and expand the living accommodations. Construction began in 1886, and the wing was ready for accommodation by May 1, 1887. The new wing was four floors with a total of 22 rooms and a bathroom and clothing room on each floor.

The original structure itself was deemed sound, and once the inmates were relocated to the new wing, the building was renovated. A large dining hall was added on each and a new kitchen and baking facility was added in a new wing on the back; the other rooms were renovated and refreshed. The renovations and additions doubled the occupancy of the almshouse.

The physical accommodations had improved greatly, but by this period William B. Cage was the steward. Reports from news agencies as far as Iowa speak to the abuses of Cage; he was known to beat the inmates frequently and force them to live under extremely cruel conditions. Throughout the early 1890s, reports were made in the local newspapers and Cage was removed.

Cage’s removal ushered in a new era of peace and tranquility at the almshouse. Going forward, state and local news reports made good mention of the improvements and living conditions available at the almshouse.

Many institutions across the country share a similar history. Sadly, the Greene County Almshouse was considered one of the worst, and very little of this history has been properly documented. Because these places housed those on the fringe of society, they were often ignored or forgotten. 

The Greene County Historical Society staff and volunteers continue to research the history of the almshouse; an in-depth history of the building is being constructed as new documents are found. With these new details, a book about the museum is a strong future possibility.