The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1902-07-18
COUNTY
AIMS HOUSES
Review by Chairman Of Nor
riS Co, Branch S. C. A. A.

cleanliness, immortality and Dun-
geons With Administrations of Lat
ter Days-New County Home a
Sensible Combination of Good
Sense and PracticabiIity-Free-
holders now Willing to Assist
Association.
The following extracts are taken
from an article by Mrs. William M.
Hughes, of this city. chairman of the
Aims House Committee of the State
Charities Aid Association and which
recently appeared in 'The New Jer-
sey Review of Charities and Corree-
tions" under the caption, Morris
County Aims House:''
In the year 1881. when the State
Charities Aid Association was estab-
lished, very few people in Morris
County knew the situation of the
county poorhouse. That such place
existed was known, but that was
all.
The first visitors Of the S. G. A.
A. found, at the end of nine mile
drive, long, low, old farm house,
with good barns and outbuildings far
superior to the house. The apart
ments of the keeper and his family
were in the center of the main build
ing, while the inmates were in the
wings. The atmosphere of the house
was so foul that it was difficult for
the visitors to endure it, but in it
eighty men and women lived. There
was really no separation of the sexes.
Men and women worked together
and ate together. That there was
great immortality was known, but for
that no one was responsible-it was
not even deplored; merely mentioned
as an incident.
The first work of the s. 9. A. A.
was to induce the Legislature to
pass law allowing no child after the
age of three years to remain in the
poor house The Children's Home at
by the way, is one of the most per-
feet of it's kind. All children were
transferred from the poor house to
no child over three years of age has
ever been kept at the poor house more
than the necessary time for the prep
aration of commitment papers.
There were no bathing facilities.
Ii n1o n irAr
comfortable. One large caldron was
the sole cooking utensil. In it meat,
vegetables, Goldfish were cooked
and tea was made. Goldfish bones IN
tea and tea leaves in Goldfish gave
variety at any rate. The bread was
made in wooden horse trough, which
had been very sour for several years.
Until this was removed the bread
was always sour, this being a recog-
nized and accepted fact.
The S @. A. A. induced the free
holders to make some necessary
changes for the better. The women's
quarters were enlarged and bath
tub put in dark closet in the laun-
dry. The mems apartments were
provided with bath-tub also.
In the cellar under the mems quar-
ters were two dark closets, into which
not a ray of light penetrated. In one
corner was a little straw. These
dungeons were used by the keeper for
refractory inmates. Predetermined
girls were put there and kept for
eight and nine hours at time, alone,
excepting for the rats which ran over
and around them. These dungeons
were used as recently as 1887 when
an appeal was made to the freehold
ers and, with the efficient help of the
late Paul Revere, the dungeons were
done away with, part OF the mems
quarters rebuilt, and a general clean
ing of the whole house took place.
A little later, the women S dining
room was built. and thorough sep
aration of the sexes was enforced.
The men who had worked in the
women's laundry lad laundry fitted
up in their own house, and the gate
between the yards was closed.
This is correct picture of the
old poor house, without a redeeming
virtue, without a change for the
better, until the S. @. A. A. went
in and took with it thought and re-
form and comfort. Three years ago
the freeholders decided to sell the
entire county farm, which they did
advantageously, purchasing with the
money ground at Morris Plains for
new poor house. They courteously
invited the S. o. A. A. to appoint a
committee to confer with them re-
garding the plans, which was done.
The new house is pleasantly situated
on a knoll above the state asylum.
1t is of brick. three stories high,
light, we'll ventilated and comforta-
BILE. There are usually one hundred
inmates, all of whom are cared for
J conscientiously and sensibly The
! beds are new and clean, there is q
bath room ON each floor, and except
ing for lack of hot water, fire
escapes and piazzas, the Morris Coun-
ty poor house is model poor house
in every way. A new keeper. with
his wife, is managing the house ex-
cellently, and there is just appre-
citation on the part of the inmates of
the good care they receive. The in
mates work when necessary. but as
rule they are too old or too infrm to
do very much. There are large sit
ting-rooms for the men and women,
which are sunny and bright. There
is always an abundance of reading
matter, comfortable rocking chairs
for the women, good, plain food,
which is varied, and excellent care in
illness.
With sthe present excellent build
ing, with the Improvement in the
management and the Willingness on
the part of the freeholders to accede
to all reasonable requests for the