The Detroit times., 1913-10-04
WRITES HISTORY
OF POOR RELIEF
IN THIS COUNTY
s. M. Keenan,. B0okkeeper at
Eloise, Completes Volume of
Interesting Data
TELLS OF WORK OF
FIR. MARTIN KUNDIG
Describes Acquisition of Black
Horse Tavern, on Present
Site of Eloise

Eighty-one years Of history, with
details of Wayne county events which
have long since passed beyond the
memory OF man, are recorded in the
Official History OF Eloise." written by
Stanislaus M. keenan,, bOokkeeper or
the institution. The book, Just OF the
press, was prepared at the request OF
DR.. John 9, Hall, president OF the
Wayne COUNTY Superintendents of the
Poor. 1t 10 handsome volume of ass
pages, illustrated with engravings OF
many OF the important buildings and
men In the history OF Eloise.
1t tells how the Wayne county poor
house and asylum got their name
from Eloise Dickerson, now Mrs. Har.
low N. Davock. Her father, Freeman
b. Dickerson. was president OF the
board In 1894. when she was four
years old.
The postoffice department wanted
q name for the station at the county
house. and after a number of others
had been suggested and rejected the
directors decided upon Eloise and the
department accepted 1t at once.
The first county house was ON q
small tract on the Fort Gratiot road,
near what Is now the corner of Ora
tiot and Mt. Elliott-aves. A small
two-story building was erected, the
the library Of c. M. Burton, city his
Photographer.
j. p. Copley was appointed keeper
Of this county house, Jan. s, 1888. he
was not, however. the first superin-
tendent of the poor. That honor be-
longs to Father Martin Kundig, q Ger
man priest, appointed in July, 1884.
He was one of the few who had stay
ed at their posts Of duty during the
terrible visitation Of Asiatic cholera
In 1888. and had worked like q hero,
caring for the sick and dying.
Father Kundig Is the real origina-
tor of the idea Of city hospital for
the poor. In 1889 he wrote to Peter
Desnoyers, in Detroit, advocating the
esta blishment Of hospital within the
city limits where the poor could be
cared for. He argued 1t would be
cheaper for the city to keep them
near at hand than to transport them
to Nankin township. where q new
county house was to be established.
Nobody agreed with him. however,
and the Nankin township site Is where
Eloise now stands, Is miles from the
center Of the city.
| In 1889, the county board decided to
purchase the farm In Nankin township
upon which stood Sam Torbet's IA
nous Black Horse tavern. The board
thus accomplished two worthy OBJ
kjects. It got 100 acres for q new poor
farm, and abolished the notorious tav-
ern which had been q dangerous spot
on the main road. The doctors who
began their work In this tavern, car
ing for the poor, received between
$125 and SITS for their yearly SER
vices. And for that price they COM
peted with each other for the Job.
The Black Horse tavern had been
fine roadside bar, but II was not q
very good poor house. In 1913 the
board sold 1t for 81. Nobody knows
what became Of It after that, says the
author of the history, but there Is no
record that Mr.. La Plat, who bought
It, ever considered 1t worth dragging
away. In 1S45, q fine new brick
building was put up and became ON.
cially the third county poor house.
This served until 1888, when $4,000
Il was 6R0uS lOE - AOW Ooh0Ah0' SAA~S
then there have been numerous add.
lions of every sort and size, until at
present the group Of buildings, with
hospitals. residences. farm buildings,
etc., 10 ample 70 take care OF the pa
tients, numbering more than 1000.
Chapter TX Of the history deals with
the administration and tells how all
the departments were concentrated
under one superintendent, now DR..
John Marker. The other chapters fol-
lowing take up special features Of the
institution, such as the school, the
store, the asylum and It's history. the
improvement of the grounds, and the
accessory buildings which make the
place Q small city In itself. The book
closes with an earnest chapter on the
treatment Of the poor.
What a blessing for those aged