ASHLAND — The word infirmary in history relates to the ‘poor house,’ which was often operated through public funding in each county. In Ashland it was later referred to as the county home.
Three different Ashland County homes were erected over the years on 406 acres of land east of State Route 60 just north of the Ashland County-West Holmes Career Center.
The first was built in 1850 at a cost of $4,000. George W. Urie and Sylvester Alger were the architects. There are no known photographs of the building but it was a two-story brick home. Male residents farmed the land and the women canned fruits and vegetables. There was also a slaughter house and enough pork and beef were stored in the winter and chickens were killed and used as needed.
Eventually the state prohibited use of home-processed food for institutions.
According to Knapp’s Ashland County History, in 1860, the building housed 55 paupers. According to the U. S. Census report that same year, the number of paupers the county supported was 65, at a cost of $2,934.
This first building was condemned for lacking modern conveniences and was deemed unfit for its residents.
A new building was then constructed in 1897 by local contractor J. W. Myers at a cost of $38,000. Vernon Redding, who also designed the recently demolished middle school and several churches and homes in Ashland, was the architect. The woodwork was from the late Victorian period. Theo McNeely completed the carpentry work which also included six ornate, oak mirrored mantle pieces.
By 1974, the building was deemed a “maintenance nightmare” by the Ashland County Commissioners and the state fire marshal dubbed it a fire trap and stated it had to be closed.
The third county home building known as the Heartland Home was built at a cost of $1.2 million after a bond issue was passed. It was dedicated on Nov. 9, 1975. Many Ashlanders objected to the “sterile” look of the new building though because it lacked the previous “homey atmosphere.”
A few items from the old home were moved to the new one to make the move less traumatic. The facility employed about 14 full and part time employees including aides, cooks and a custodian.
Over the years, the stigma of going to the ‘poor house’ lifted and paupers were referred to as residents and in order to show dignity and respect to those who resided there. Many civic and church groups and Ashland residents made contributions to the county home and its residents over the years it was in existence.
The Heartland Home was closed on March 31, 2009 due to the county’s financial struggles.
Editor’s Note: A key source in this story was the use of the archives compiled by Betty J. Plank, of the Ashland County Historical Society.
