Almshouse: Difference between revisions
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The City Almshouse, which stood | The City Almshouse, which stood on Collins Cove, on present day Memorial Drive, for over 140 years was built in 1816 from plans of Charles Bulfinch. Prior to this one, there had been other almshouses in Salem, one at the corner of Summer and Broad Streets, and one at the northeast corner of Salem Common. | ||
This almshouse was adjacent to the town farms, allowing able-bodied residents to work on the farm to offset their maintenance. | This almshouse was adjacent to the town farms, allowing able-bodied residents to work on the farm to offset their maintenance. | ||
The building was a five-story brick residence overlooking Collins Cove and | The building was a five-story brick residence overlooking Collins Cove and | ||
could house 100 residents.The number of residents grew from 70 in the 1870's to 146 by 1883. In 1884, to alleviate the overcrowded conditions, a second building was built next to the almshouse to serve as a hospital | could house 100 residents.The number of residents grew from 70 in the 1870's to 146 by 1883. In 1884, to alleviate the overcrowded conditions, a second building was built next to the almshouse to serve as a hospital | ||
for contagious diseases and the mentally ill. The almshouse was razed in 1954. | for contagious diseases and the mentally ill. The almshouse was razed in 1954. | ||
In the early 1980's, developers of a condominium complex inadvertently reactivated an unsolved mystery when they discovered 5 headstones on the property, probably from early residents of the almshouse or hospital. Who these unfortunates were is still not known. | |||
==See Also== | |||
[[Category:Browse Index]] | |||
[[Category:Buildings]] | |||
Revision as of 09:01, 2 May 2008
The City Almshouse, which stood on Collins Cove, on present day Memorial Drive, for over 140 years was built in 1816 from plans of Charles Bulfinch. Prior to this one, there had been other almshouses in Salem, one at the corner of Summer and Broad Streets, and one at the northeast corner of Salem Common. This almshouse was adjacent to the town farms, allowing able-bodied residents to work on the farm to offset their maintenance. The building was a five-story brick residence overlooking Collins Cove and could house 100 residents.The number of residents grew from 70 in the 1870's to 146 by 1883. In 1884, to alleviate the overcrowded conditions, a second building was built next to the almshouse to serve as a hospital for contagious diseases and the mentally ill. The almshouse was razed in 1954. In the early 1980's, developers of a condominium complex inadvertently reactivated an unsolved mystery when they discovered 5 headstones on the property, probably from early residents of the almshouse or hospital. Who these unfortunates were is still not known.
