My understanding of a poor farm is that persons not able to take care of
themselves due to lack of employment etc. were sent to it. The residents
planted vegetable gardens and fields for crops - probably had cows etc..
Much of the produce was used to feed the residence and some sold for profit
to help maintain the facility and residents. Residents were required to
work. It wasn't a picnic. I believe the cost of providing for themselves
was deducted from wages- sort of a sharecropper system. I'm not certain
anyone ever could pay their way out. It was a precursor to welfare. I
poor farms came into heavy use during the depression. My knowledge is based
on visiting one that is now a "hotel" in Oregon and reading the literature
on it. Phyllis
-----Original Message-----
From: INOWEN-D-request(a)rootsweb.com <INOWEN-D-request(a)rootsweb.com>
To: INOWEN-D(a)rootsweb.com <INOWEN-D(a)rootsweb.com>
Date: Wednesday, April 07, 1999 12:21 PM
Subject: INOWEN-D Digest V99 #25