USA > Ohio > Darke County > History of Darke County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 32
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Accordingly, on March 18, 1854, the County Commissioners purchased a farm of 248 acres located in townships 11 and 12 in Greenville township on both sides of the Eaton pike for the sum of $6,000.00. The object of this purchase was to locate a home for the care of the infirm; sick and disabled poor of the county. The contract for an infirmary building was let on May 17, 1854, and the structure was completed in January, 1856, at a total cost of about $8,500.00. This structure was built of brick, three stories in height and was 40x84 feet in dimensions. The building was doubled in size by an addition built in 1875-76, when it contained seventy- two rooms : substantial separate buildings were also erected for a laundry and engine-house. The site chosen was on the slope of a hill overlooking Greenville and the valley of Bridge creek. This institution was opened for the reception of inmates March 1, 1856, and an average of eighteen inmates was maintained during that year. In March, 1880, the num- ber of inmates was 106, including fourteen idiotic persons. .
By a law enacted in recent years most of the insane patients are sent to the district state hospital at Dayton, O., for treat- ment and confinement. It has been estimated that about ninety per cent. of all inmates confined in the infirmary are there as a result of intemperance, directly or indirectly. A
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cursory glance convinces even the superficial observer that a large per cent. suffer from senility or some form of mental or physical weakness which incapacitates them for the ard- nous duties of the normal citizen.
The original building was consumed by fire on the morn- ing of June 2, 1897. At that time there were some seventy- five or eighty inmates confined in the building. all of whom escaped and found refuge in the large barn across the road. They were soon removed to the fair grounds until suitable temporary quarters had been crected just south of the site of the burned building. At this time the County Commis- sioners and Infirmary Directors took prompt action to secure the erection of a new building. The contract was soon let to Hosacoster, of Richmond, Indiana, at about $75.000, who pushed the work during the following winter and spring and had it ready for occupancy in the fall of 1898.
John Studebaker, L. G. Turner and G. F. Trittschuh were the directors; John Noggle, Philip Plessinger and Chris Ap- penseller the commissioners; T. B. Miller, the superintend- ent, and Dr. W. A. Rush the visiting physician at the time of the fire, and to these officers must be given much credit for the efficient manner in which they met the critical situa- tion.
The new building is built of red pressed brick on a stone foundation, has a slate roof and is two stories above the base- ment. The front facade is ornamented with towers and dormers and presents a pleasing and homelike appear- ance. The front part of the building is built for the use of the superintendent and family, and contains an office, sitting room, bed room, reception room and pantry on the first floor, five bed rooms and a bath room upstairs and a kitchen in the basement. There is an offset in the building between the superintendent's department and that of the inmates a short distance to the rear. The main hall runs entirely through the building from east to west. On the south side of this hall downstairs is the male inmates' department. comprising a large sitting room, dormitory, with some eighteen beds, two separate bed room, three closets, three lavatories and a large bath room, besides three other bed rooms on the ex- treme east. Upstairs above these roms are a large hospital room, dormitory, three or four bed rooms with four beds each, bath and sanitary and three additional bed rooms as below. The female department is situated on the north side
INFIRMARY BUILDING (Courtesy "Advocate")
Brethren Home. Greenvitle, O.
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of the building and is arranged in about the same manner as that of the males. A large dining room and two kitchens occupy the rear of the main building. There is a basement under the entire building containing furnace, coal and food storage rooms besides the superintendent's kitchen.
A short distance east of the main building is located the annex built to house the incurable insane. It is of brick, two stories high, and contains eightcen cells, one large bath room and nine separate cells with sanitary closet attached on each floor. North of the annex is a brick laundry build- ing equipped with modern machinery. Besides these there is a slaughter house, an ice house, a large bank barn capable of accommodating about forty head of cattle, ten horses, a silo with a capacity of probably seventy-five tons of ensil- age, a crib, a wagon shed and a hog pen. A twenty-five horse power gas engine with a six-inch duplex pump draws the water from a wonderful natural spring located just below the edge of the hill on the west side of the pike some five hundred feet from the engine house. This spring has been enclosed by a wall sixteen feet square and the water stands about five feet deep throughout the year. It is seemingly inexhaustible as from five hundred to seven hundred barrels of water have been pumped from it in one day in the summer season to sprinkle the lawn, etc., without visibly diminish- ing the supply.
The cost of the entire group of buildings is estimated at approximately one hundred thousand dollars and the land comprising the farm is now probably worth thirty thousand dollars.
Shortly after the completion it was inspected by the Sec- retary of the State Board of Charities, who pronounced it the best arranged and most complete infirmary of its size in Ohio.
Until recently this institution was conducted by a super- intendent and three directors, appointed by the County Com- missioners. By a new law the directors have been eliminat- ed, and the Commissioners control it directly. Since its or- ganization the following persons have served in the difficult and responsible position of superintendent: Jacob Shively. three years; David Thompson, six years; Wm. Thompson, five years; Crawford Eddington, seven years; J. N. Braden, three years; John Brandon, ten years; T. B. Miller, eleven years ; I. F. St. John, three years: Wm. Smith. five years.
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The present very efficient and popular incumbent is G. Fred- erick Trittschuh, who has served since 1910.
The following extract from the report of the Board of County Visitors filed with the Probate Judge, December 14, 1913, shows the present condition of this very important county institution :
"The Darke County Infirmary, situated about two miles south of Greenville on the Dayton & Northern Traction, comprises a farm of 241 acres, of which 140 acres is tillable, 25 acres is in timber, 55 acres in pasture, 10 acres in orchard, 5 acres in lawn and barnyard, and one acre in cemetery. The farm land is in good condition and is valued at $125 per acre.
"This season the farm produced 457 bushels of wheat, 409 bushels of oats, 204 bushels of rye, 3,000 bushels of corn, 50 tons of hay, 75 tons of ensilage, 448 bushels of Irish potatoes, 69 bushels of sweet potatoes, 75 bushels of onions and an abundance of vegetables of all kinds.
The cellar contains over a thousand cans of fruit and 85 gallons of apple butter.
On the farm at the present time are the following: Forty- six cattle, seven horses, two hundred and twenty swine, one hundred and fifty chickens. The stock is in good condition, and the barn is well filled with feed for winter use. The total value of the products for the year was $6,766.72.
The estimated net annual expense, beside products, was $12,618.06.
Supt. G. F. Trittschuh and wife formerly received $1,200 per year, and now $1.400 per year.
The management of the farm and institution requires the assistance of the following help: Two farm hands at $26.00 each per month ; an engineer at $50.00 per month ; six girls at $17.50 each per month. Dr. S. A. Hawes is employed as physician for the institution at $150.00 per year.
The capacity of the infirmary is two hundred, and the popu- lation is eighty-six. Of this number one is an epileptic, six are blind, three are insane, and the majority of the remainder are disabled by old age. All the inmates who are able assist with the work of the institution. The women are employed with house work, quilt piecing, and sewing carpet rags while the men are engaged in care of the buildings and labor on the farm. The inmates seem contented and happy.
The insane are quartered in separate rooms in the annex.
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The sexes occupy separate wings of the building. Aged couples are also separated.
There are no soldiers or soldiers' widows at the infirmary.
The buildings are in excellent condition and are well kept. The basement of the main building looks clean and sanitary, with all the walls newly whitewashed. The buildings are all lighted by electricity and heated by steam. The rooms are ventilated by raising and lowering the windows.
The door yards are especially neat and clean in every part. The lawn, with its artistically arranged shrubs and flowers, present an attractive appearance.
Industry, care and thrift are in evidence throughout the institution.
The water supply is obtained from a spring and a driven well.
Protection against fire is provided by chemical fire ex- tinguishers and water furnished by the tower system.
The inmates have access to daily and weekly papers."
The report of 1879 showed 114 inmates on August 31st of that year : 193 persons admitted during the year : total cost of maintenance $8,314.49. The farm itself is now worth about five times its original cost and the total value of ground and buildings approximates $130,000.00.
The Children's Home.
The word home is one of the most sacred and suggestive in the English language, calling up ties and associations dear to the heart of humanity-ties that bind old and young around the common hearthstone-associations that cast a potent speli over the entire earthly life of normal man.
To establish and maintain a home for the unfortunate children of a large county is a work worthy of sincere com- mendation. In early days such children were placed in the infirmaries with the idiotic, the delinquent, the aged and in- firm and brought under the depressing influences of such an unsavory environment.
Benevolent minded citizen early saw the revolting fea- tures of this custom and stirred up sentiment against it. In response to this sentiment the county commissioners ordered that the proposition of establishing a children's home, and of issuing bonds in a sum not in excess of $25.000 to pay for the requisite site and erect suitable buildings thereon, be sub-
(24)
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mitted to the qualified electors of the county at a public elec- tion in April, 1882. The proposition was accordingly voted on and carried by a large majority. Taxes were levied for this purpose in 1882, 1883 and 1884. The commissioners then invited proffers of suitable tracts and after the consid- eration of various propositions from owners of farms in dif- ferent parts of the county finally decided upon a tract of about fifty-two and one-half acres situated in adjoining cor- ners of sections thirteen and fourteen, township twelve, range two east, on the Beamsville pike about two and three- fourths miles north of the county seat. This property was purchased from George W. Manix, Sr., November 27, 1883 for $7,357.63. This site is centrally located, is sufficiently re- mote from Greenville to insure quiet and home-like condi- tions, but not being situated on any railway or traction line necessitates the incurring of extra expense for the transpor- tation of fuel and supplies.
The Dorman farm, nicely situated on a rising knoll skirt- ing the north bank of Greenville creek and facing the same pike, had been offered as a site, but considerable objection was raised on account of its proximity to the county seat, an objection which is not now considered sufficiently valid.
On November 26, 1884, the commissioners appointed three trustees: S. A. Hostetter, to serve three years: John H. Martin, two years; and Thomas McCowen, to serve one year. By joint action of the commissioners and trustees it was decided to build a structure of ample proportions with all modern conveniences. The contract for the main building was let June 8, 1888, for $17,000. The boiler house cost about $2,000.00, the gas fitting, heaters and radiators about $4,000.00 and the grading of yard and making of roads and walks about $800.00 in addition to the above.
The main building is two stories high above the basement. is built of red brick on a stone foundation, is one hundred and sixteen feet front length, ninety-one feet deep on the wings, about sixty feet above grade to square, has tower, steep pitched slate roof and dormers. The basement is cemented and contains a large kitchen, dining room, pantries, grocery, fireman's work room. besides fruit and coal rooms, and a large furnace. An eight-foot hall penetrates this floor for eighty feet. The first floor is intersected by halls running both ways, has a large sitting room, dining room and pan- tries, a commodious office with parlor and bed-room attached.
COUNTY CHILDREN'S HOME.
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Girls and boys have separate large play rooms with attached wash, bath, sanitary closet and press room, besides two sep- arate bed rooms and closets, contains a large room used for nursery and dormitory, a serving room, seven bed rooms, one large bath room, and boys' and girls' dormitories each with wash, toilet and bath room attached, and all connected by cross halls. A hospital room was furnished in the attic but lias been condemned by the state inspector of public build- ings. Besides the main building there is a two-story brick laundry building with slate roof, size twenty-four by forty feet, equipped with steam-washer, extracter and drying room ; a brick slaughter house size fourteen by twenty-two feet ; a two-story frame building, size eighteen by thirty-four feet, built for a manual training shop ; a good barn forty by eighty feet on the fondation, with basement, in which are kept horses and cattle; a hog house, and four large hen houses. Besides these buildings, a neat and commodious brick school house with tower and two rooms, size twenty-five by thirty- four and twenty-eight by forty, respectively, was built in 1895, some distance north of the main building. On December 18, 1913, there were sixty-three children in the home, thirty-five boys and twenty-eight girls, and eleven assistants were em- ployed.
Thomas Teal was the first superintendent of the home and served from April, 1889, to March, 1892. He was succeeded by Thomas Monger and wife, who served as superintendent and matron respectively until 1912, a period of twenty years, in a very efficient and satisfactory manner. Mr. Albert Wag- ner and wife served from March 5, 1912, to March, 1913, and were succeeded by Mr. Alvin Gilbert and wife who are the present incumbents.
S. A. Hostetter served as trustee for seventeen years, and was succeeded by John Suter, who served eight years, who in turn was succeeded by Elmer Studebaker, who now occupies this office. John H. Martin served a short time, was suc- ceeded by John C. Turpen, who served six or eight years, and was succeeded by J. C. Elliott, who served eight years, since whose term the office has been filled for brief periods by James W. Martin, and W. B. Hough, both deceased, and is now filled by Ed Culbertson who was recently appointed. Thomas McCowen was succeeded by Judge J. A. Jobes, who was appointed to fill his unexpired term. Jacob M. Brown
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succeeded Jobes in 1892, served eleven years, and was in turn succeeded by W. D. Rush, who has served ever since.
When the number of trustees was increased from three to four in order to make the board bi-partisan, Henry Bish was appointed to this position and served probably six years, being succeeded by John A. McEowen, who served about ten years. The latter resigned in 1912 and was succeeded by J. H. Dunham, the present incumbent.
During the quarter of a century of the home's history over six hundred children have gone through its course of training and been placed with responsible families or in promising employment. The children are now kept in the home until they are eighteen years of age.
The amount of service rendered to these unfortunate chil- dren, and through them to society, is incalculable and justi- fies, no doubt, all the care and expense invested in them. The following extract from the report of the Board of County Visitors filed December 14, 1913, with Probate Judge James B. Kolp furnishes some interesting data :
Children's Home.
The Children's Home is situated two and three-fourths miles northeast of Greenville on a farm of fifty-two and one- half acres. Thirty-five are tillable, eight acres are in tim- ber, and the remainder in orchard, garden, barn-yard and lawn. The farm is valued at $125.00 per acre.
The products this year were twelve tons of hay, one hun- dred and sixty-four bushels rye, a silo of ensilage. one hun- dred twenty-five bushels of potatoes, ten bushels of beets, ten bushels of onions, five bushels of sweet potatoes and the usual garden supplies.
On the farm at the present time are the following: Eight cattle, four horses, twenty-two swine, seven turkeys and two hundred chickens.
The value of the products from this farm were estimated at $1,100.00.
The estimated net annual expense, besides products, was $11,873.29.
The management of the home was changed in March, 1913. and Mr. and Mrs. A. Gilbert, who receive $1.000 per year sal- ary, are now in charge.
A physician is employed at a salary of $100.00 per year.
While there are accommodations for one hundred chil-
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dren, there are now only sixty-one children in the home. Of these there is one crippled and one feeble-minded. The boys and girls occupy different parts of the same building and each department is in charge of a governess.
The girls' dormitory is fitted up with white iron beds and the boys with wooden beds. These beds are equipped with sheets, pillows, blankets, comforts and spreads.
A seamstress is employed to do the sewing for the inmates.
The older children, when out of school, assist with the work of the institution. Some of the girls, who are musically in- clined, are given instrumental lessons.
One teacher is employed to teach the home school.
The children have access to a library, the Youth's Com- panion and Sunday school papers.
The children attend Sunday school at a church near the home.
The clothing of the children is good and plentiful.
The brick building occupied by the superintendent and family, the helpers and the inmates, is lighted by electricity, heated by steam, and ventilated by windows.
The trustees have improved the building this year by making a board floor in the children's dining room and the kitchen, and by building fire escapes to the boys' and girls' dormitories and children's dining room. They have repaired, roofed and repainted the barn.
Carnegie Library.
One of the most popular and useful institutions in the county is the Carnegie library, located on the northwest cor- ner of Fifth and Sycamore streets, Greenville, Ohio, on grounds formerly comprising a portion of the West School play grounds. The beginning of this excellent library prop- erly dates from the administration of Prof. F. Gillum Cromer as superintendent of the public schools. Professor Cromer became superintendent in 1888 and soon began to plan for a library for the use of the school children. Wash- ington's birthday entertainments were given by the scholars of the public schools (which then comprised the East (high) school and West school) and the money thus earned was used to purchase books and maintain the library, which was then called the "Free School Library." As the library in- creased in size it was deemed desirable to equip a centrally located room and open up the library to the general public.
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Appreciating the benefit conferred upon a community by the possession of such an institution, Mr. Frank M. McWhinney, a public spirited citizen, donated the use of the lower floor of his brick business room on West Fifth street, opposite the Christian Tabernacle, for the housing of the growing library. This room was nicely furnished by the board of education and in 1892 the books were moved into it. Mr. Henry St. Clair, a wholesale grocer and far-seeing citizen, added an ex- cellent reference library, comprising dictionaries, atlases, cy- clopedias, theological, historical and reference books gen- erally and furnished a secluded alcove for the especial use of the ministers, professional men and literary club women. Miss Josie Ford was employed as the first librarian. She was succeeded by Miss Callie Biltemier. The library in- creased in size and usefulness and in the early spring of 1901. Mr. D. L. Gaskill, representing the board of education of the city of Greenville, wrote Andrew Carnegie asking whether. if the city of Greenville would pledge itself for the support of a library, he would not make a donation for a library for that city. Within three days an answer came back from Mr. Carnegie stating that if the city of Greenville would provide for its support in the sum of $1,500.00 per year, he would be glad to give $15,000.00 for the erection of a library. Imme- diate steps were taken by the board of education and the city council of Greenville to pledge that amount of support for the library and Mr. D. L. Gaskill, Mr. L. C. Anderson and Mr. A. H. Brandon went to Pittsburgh to get ideas on library con- struction. After looking over libraries in that city and con- sulting with Mr. Anderson, librarian of the libraries of Pittsburgh. the latter advised that Greenville should have a better library than $15,000.00 would build, and in reply to a question put to him by Mr. Gaskill, he stated he would be very glad to write a letter advising Mr. Carnegie to that effect. He gave the committee such a letter and upon their return Mr. Henry St. Clair gave the committee another let- ter stating he intended to maintain the reference library as he had been in the past. These letters were forwarded to Mr. Carnegie in New York, but owing to the fact that Mr. Car- negie had gone to Scotland, they were forwarded to Skibo Castle and in about two months an answer was received from Mr. Carnegie that if the city of Greenville would in- crease the amount which they pledged for its support to $2.500.00 he would be glad to give $25,000.00 for the library.
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The board of education immediately altered the plans and called for bids on a library that could be built for $25,000.00. When the bids were received, however, it was found that it would require close to $30,000.00 to construct a library in accordance with the plans as made and Mr. W. S. Kaufman, who was the architect of the building, was instructed to modify the plans. A few days later Mr. Gaskill, when in con- versation with Mr. St. Clair, stated that the plans had to be modified in order to reduce the cost and Mr. St. Clair, who was familiar with the plans, stated that it would be a great pity to alter the plans from what had been originally in- tended and that if the board of education would proceed to build it as originally planned, he would make up what money Mr. Carnegie lacked in building it. The architect was imme- diately notified not to change the plans and the work was undertaken on the original plans. Mr. D. L. Gaskill was chairman of the building committee, and took personal charge of the construction. The members of the school board at that time were: L. C. Anderson, D. L. Gaskill, George W. Mannix, Jr., H. C. Jacobi, A. F. Markwith and F. T. Conklin.
There is no building in the city for beauty and excellence and benefit to the citizens that exceeds the Carnegie library. Mr. St. Clair contributed to its building and erection the sum of $3.610.50. Mr. Carnegie gave $25,000.00, and the board of education, from the library fund, contributed suffi- cient to make up the remaining cost. which totaled $31.177.50. At the time the construction was made, building material and labor was low, and the same building to be constructed ten years later would have cost probably $45.000.00.
This building is about ninety feet in length and seventy feet in width, and is two stories in height. The outside con- struction of the first, or basement story, is of Bedford stone, while the second story is of buff pressed brick, trimmed in oolitic stone, and the roof is covered with red tile. The li- brary is entered by wide steps under a portico. A doorway leads from the portico into a vestibule finished in marble. A rise of ten steps leads to the lobby, finished in quartered oak and encaustic Mosaic tile. The librarian's desk is placed midway in the lobby and is octagonal in form. The chil- dren's reading room, twenty-five by thirty feet. is situated on the right of the lobby; the adult's reading room, of the same size, on the left. The St. Clair reference room is in the rear of the adult's reading room, and the stack room in
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