VAN BUREN COUNTY HOME - - 1935

BAKER, CRESSWELL, ELLIS, FORDYCE, MASON, HOSKIN, MAYNE, PERRY, NEWBOLD, RABB, SILVER

Posted By: Gloria Dodds (email)
Date: 10/29/2002 at 16:45:55

Page One Hundred Two The Keosauqua Republican Thursday, August 15, 1935
80 year Anniversary 1855-1935

HISTORY OF THE VAN BUREN COUNTY HOME

The above is a picture of the present Van Buren County Home built in 1923 to replace the old one which was destroyed by fire February 15, 1914. A picture of this old county home will be found on page 93 of this issue.
At a meeting January 8, 1861, of the Van Buren county board of supervisors, composed of the following members, John D. Baker, Matthew Cresswell, Lorenzo Ellis, Seth Fordyce, Erastus Hoskin, J. A. Mason, E. Mayne, John Perry, J.G. Newbold, Harvey Rabb, Jos. Rabb, and Jacob V. Silver, Erastus Hoskin offered the following resolution: "Resolved that a committee of three be appointed by the Board to receive proposals for a farm or farms suitable for a Poor House farm and report to the Board at some future meeting." Erastus Hoskin, J. D. Baker and John Perry were named as the committee.
On January 9, 1861, the committee was authorized to give notice through the papers in this place of proposals for land for a Poor House farm.
On February 13, 1861, the committee reported that about forty locations had been examined, among them the Bennett farm, the Lawrence Hotel at Farmington, and the the William Shepherd farm 1 1/2 miles south of Keosauqua.
Then Hoskin and J.D. Baker recommended the purchase of a farm owned by Mr. F. A. Moxley, situated 3 1/3 miles north of Keosauqua, one mile from the Summit depot(Mt. Zion), on the railroad.
This farm contained 160 acres of land, 75 acres of improvements, a good farm house with a good cellar underneath it, the house divided into five rooms, a smoke house, a frame stable, and other out buildings, a young orchard, two wells, and plenty of good timber, stone and coal on or near the land. The price of this farm was $3,000. John Perry recommended the purchase of the Lawrence Hotel in Farmington at a cost of $3,625, but the members of the board thought this was more than they cared to pay and did not think the place centrally enough located in the county.
Finally, after much discussion and argument on both sides, the board voted to buy the Moxley farm and on February 16, 1861, Mr. Mayne moved that an appropriation of $1,100 dollars be made for paying the first installment on the Poor House farm and the motion was sustained. At the same meeting the board considered the matter of erecting buildings on the poor farm. They voted to erect a temporary building 40 feet by 18 feet, 8 or 9 feet high" the building to be divided into three rooms, one 10 feet, one 14 feet, and one 16 feet . The sum of $300 was voted for the purpose of erecting said building. Mr. Mayne also moved that $500 be appropriated to furnish the necessary implements and stock to carry on the Poor farm. This motion was sustained.
On June 4, 1861, Mr. and Mrs. Kauffman was chosen the first steward and matron of the County farm. The following year, June 1862, the insane department building was added to the Poor House farm.
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Ruby are the present steward and matron of the County home.