The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-03-10
TIE COUNTY POOR HOUSE.

- rHE COUNTY POOR HOUSE.
In the Presentment of the grand jury
made to the Court last week, and which
has been published in the INrELL1-
aENcER, they recommended that more
comfortable buildings be erected at the
Poor House for the inmates. This is not
the first recommendation of the kind that
has been made within the past few years
by our grand juries, though we hope it
will be.the last that may be necessary.
Several years ago the buildings in which
the inmates of the Poor House live were
reported as disgrace to human civili-
cation" and, if we mistake not, upon
that report the Court instructed the
County Commissioners then serving to
provide more comfortable houses for the
inmates, but it was never done, and the
houses that were then disgrace are still
occupied, and are in still more dilspi-
dated condition now than they were then.
On last Monday afternoon we took occa-
sion to visit the Poor House, and are
fnlly prepared to endorse all that the
grand juries have said about the condi-
tion of the buildings as we'll as of the
importance of making Improvements for
the comfort and heslth of the inmates.
There is not a comfortable house on the
place, and.we believe nine-tenths of the
taxpayers of the County would be more
than willing to see the County Commis.
sioners go to work at once and have neat,
comfortable buildings erected. The
present houses are made of logs, chinked
with clay, and are 80 old that many of
the timbers in all of them are very much
decayed. Some of them have been stand.
ing nearly ever since the institution was
established forty-fve years ago. In all
there are about thirteen rooms in the
houses on the place, besides the Stewards
house, six of which are occupied by
twenty-seven white inmates, four BY ff-
teen colored inmates, two by hired sci.
wants, leaving one empty. The colored
paupers are crowded worse than the
whites, as their houses are smaller. The
Stewards residence is also in a dilapi-
dated condition, and is shout as worthless
as the others. It has only two rooms
besides the kitchen, and one Of these is
small shed room not moro than eight feet
square. The paupers are nearly all help
less, there being only about four out of
forty.two who are of any help about the
place whatever. Some of them are very
old and feeble, others are crippled and
deformed, four are blind-two white and
two colored-one being deaf, dumb and
blind, several are simple and subject to
fits, and two are little orphans about
three or four years old. We doubt if
there are more than two on the place that
could earn their own living if turned out
upon the world to shift for themselves.
AS most of them are confined to their
houses all the time, the Importance of
making these houses comfortable will at
once be appreciated. But the houses
now used cannot be made comfortable,
and necessity demands new ones. We
believe it would be economy to build
brick houses, which would stand for ages.
Let them be built on the "double cabin"
order and placed far enough apart to
prevent the spread of fire in case of an
accident. About fourteen or sixteen
rooms are needed for the accommodation
of both paupers and hired servants, and
would cost in the neighborhood Of $4,000.
This would be large sum to invest in
houses, it is true, but it will be decidedly
better to build good ones while they are
being built, and that they must be built
there is no question. The County is
abundantly able to provide for all her
poor, and should do it in a manner cred
table to herself. The houses need not
all be erected at once. Build two each
year until the requisite number is fin
ished, if it takes six or eight years to do
it. We think it is matter the Commits
sioners should act upon, and we firmly
believe the people of the County will
sustain them in whatever improvements
they may make in this direction.