The county home in Indiana : a forgotten response to poverty and disability

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Authors
Hassett, Kayla
Advisor
Adams, Vera A.
Issue Date
2013-05-04
Keyword
Degree
Thesis (M.S.H.P.)
Department
Department of Urban Planning
Other Identifiers
Abstract

The county home is a rapidly disappearing building type in Indiana. Also known as the poorhouse, poor asylum, or county farm, the county home was Indiana’s first unified response to poverty and disability. County homes were built in each of Indiana’s ninety-two counties, but today, over half of these buildings either sit vacant or have been demolished. This thesis includes a survey of Indiana’s remaining county homes, recording forty-eight buildings in forty-seven counties. Information regarding each building’s architectural significance, condition, and current use is noted. Though reuse can be difficult, often due to large building size or rural location, it is possible. Several successful examples of adaptive reuse of county homes exist across the state, as this thesis illustrates.

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