USA > Rhode Island > Providence County > Providence > State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the end of the century : a history, Volume 3 > Part 43
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In 1723 the first almshouse in Rhode Island had already been built in Newport by vote of the town.2 Here the poor, the siek, the blind and the insane were huddled together without attempt at classifieation of any sort in indiscriminate misery. Such as were able to labor a little were employed in the workhouse near at hand picking and spin- ning oakum. All who were sent there went with a fixed idea, well founded, that their next removal would be to the paupers' corner of the adjacent burying ground. Those who could do so were permitted on all days but Sunday to hobble about the streets in rags and wretch- edness begging tobacco or money from citizen and stranger alike.
Many plans for the improvement of affairs were from time to time suggested by broad minded and generous citizens, but these were all talked down one after the other, on the ground that no ehange could be made without increase of expense to the town. At length, a pro- . ject was started by a few prominent gentlemen looking to the erection
1Arnold, vol. ii, 435.
2Arnold, vol. ii, 74.
26-3
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
of a suitable building in a suitable loeation, which should have con- nected with it a tract of farming land on which those able to work might be profitably employed. This project was submitted for eon- sideration at a special town meeting numerously attended and it being generally approved, a committee was appointed to recommend a loca- tion. Coaster's Harbor Island, containing about ninety aeres of exeel- lent suitable land, situated about a mile north of the eompaet part of the town, and separated from this by about ten rods of water, was selected by the committee and approved at a subsequent town meeting. On this an edifice of stone was ereeted, which was at the time, and for many years after, thought to be complete in all its appointments and admirably adapted to its purpose. It continued in use till a few years since when Coaster's Harbor Island was purchased by the United States government and made the site of a naval school. In 1850 its valuc was estimated at fifteen thousand dollars. The occupation of Coaster's Harbor Island property was the beginning of better days. A new order and spirit entered into the management, and in every way into the provision made for the poor of Newport. They were now com- fortably honsed, elothed and supplied with an abundance of wholesome food ; while the streets were no longer infested with beggars to the dis- grace of the town and the disgust of all decent eitizens.
The following was the bill of fare for the inmates in the year 1850 : Breakfast-Rye and Indian bread with good milk porridge.1 "Supper -Flour and Indian bread with good milk porridge, Sundays exeepted, when tea and coffee, sugar and molasses, with butter at each meal shall be substituted. Dinner: Suuday-Boiled Indian or riee pudding, with milk or molasses. Monday-Boiled beef with all kinds of sea- sonable vegetables in sufficient quantities. Tuesday-Mineed salt fish and potatoes fried in fat. Wednesday-Stew of fish or meat. Thurs- day-Pork and beans with other vegetables. Friday-Fish as on Tuesday. Saturday-Soup of a nutritious quality, and at every meal bread in a sufficient quantity.
Both the men and the women who make themselves useful about the house and farm have tea, coffee and butter daily, with meat three times a day if they request it. The siek are fed under the direction of the physician and are furnished with everything their appetites require- old people likewise. Sweet green corn, apple dumpling and fried fish occasionally. At Christmas, roast turkey, ete."
The Newport asylum was, in its day, a model institution, and its high standing has been maintained until the present.
In 1738 there was a project to establish in Providenee a county workhouse for the poor, and William Hopkins was selected to repre- sent the town in the matter ; but the design was never carried out.2 Its
1Hazard's Report, 72.
2Staples's Annals, 194.
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agitation was renewed fifteen years later by the towns of Providence, Smithfield, Seituate, Glocester and Cumberland, and the scheme presented to the legislature. The erection of such a building was authorized, the oversight and management of it to be in the hands of five persons, one from cach of the towns named. It was also permitted the towns in Bristol and Kent Counties to join in the enterprise. The cost was to be met by taxation and the paupers who should be adınit- ted were to be supported by the several towns from which they might come. If such an institution was ever established it did not long continue a joint concern. But from this movement, at a later date, resulted the Providence poor house or "Old Workhouse," which stood for many years on the corner of Smith and Charles streets, and in which some paupers continued to exist until the Dexter asylum was opened in 1828. Long before this time it had, however, beeame a plaee of punishment rather than of relief.
The following rules, framed by a committee appointed for the purpose and ratified by the freemen of Providenee in town meeting assembled one hundred and fifty years ago, will some of them have a strange sound to modern ears :1 "That the master keep the gates at all times well seeured and a proper person be appointed to take eare of the same who shall admit none nor let any out without liberty of the master or in his absence of the next officer, and if any be desir- ous to see or speak with any of the persons admitted to the house, the door keeper is not to call them without leave; and if any persons be suspected of bringing in any strong liquor or carrying out anything belonging to the house or any person therein the door keeper is to stop them and give notice to the master that so due inquiry and search may be made for them and the guilty punished ; but yet all such as in an orderly way would see the house shall be treated with proper respeet and eivility by the master and in his absenee by the next officer of the house."
"That the mistress take care that the victuals be well and seasonably dressed, and bread and beer seasonably prepared aceording to the direction of the overscers; that the rooms be swept and beds made every day, that the windows be frequently opened for airing the house, that the house be washed as often as shall be judged neeessary, that the table linen, dishes &c. be elean, that the people be kept elean and neat in their apparel and have elean linen to shift onee every week and the beds shifted once a month in the summer season and that for her assistance there shall be proper persons appointed by the overseers or their committee for these serviees as well as for other neeessary oeeasions of the house."
"That none shall be admitted into the house without a written order
'Town Papers.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
under the hand of one or more of the overseers and that upon their admission they be examined whether they are free from liee and foul distempers; and such as shall not be found clean shall be put into some particular room till they be perfectly cleansed and that they be obliged to take care to keep themselves washed and eombed and their elothes neat and whole and to change their linen onee a week."
"That they constantly attend the worship of God in the house and observe the rules preseribed for their meals."
"That when any children shall . be received into the house there shall be some suitable women ap- pointed to attend them, who are to take eare that they be washed, eombed and dressed every morning and taught to read and instrueted in the Holy Seriptures and assem- blies eateehism at such hours as shall be appointed by the overseers and that the rest of their time be employed in such work as shall be assigned to them, and when they arrive at a suitable age they shall be bound out into good families as the law direets."
"That the common work of the house be picking oakum unless for sueh tradesmen whose business may be well accommodated in the house and it shall be judged pro- fitabler to employ as tailor, shoe- maker, mopmaker, nailer, &e."
"That whereas the poverty and This image was formerly located over the door of the Kent County Jail at East Greenwich, where it remained from the lat- ter part of the eighteenth century to the middle of the nineteenth century, when it was removed and deposited with the Rhode Island Historical Society. ruin of many families is often ow- ing to the idle and vicious course of one of the heads of it, who if he had been bred to some good trade industriously praetieed would have capaeitated him by his earnings to have comfortably provided for his family, it being judged proper to order such persons to the house and employ them there, in that ease account is to be kept of their earnings, a reasonable deduetion for their support in the house to be made, and the overplus to go to the support of their families."
"That they be allowed from the hour of twelve to one for the time
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THE POOR, THE DEFECTIVE AND THE CRIMINAL.
of dining and that from eight to nine in the morning and from six to seven in the evening be allowed for the other meals and for attendance on divine worship."
"That the master every morning between the hours of eight and nine and every evening between the hours of six and seven call the people together and read a suitable portion of the Holy Scriptures to them and pray with them and as often as they eat together ask a bless- ing and return thanks. That he take special care that the Sabbath be duly observed, and besides the morning and evening service he shall be obliged until other provision be made to call the whole family together at least one part of the day and spend a suitable part of the time in praying, singing psalms and reading some particular dis- courses of divinity that shall be appointed by the overseers."
"That all immoralities and disobedience to the government of the house and other misbehavior be by the master noted in a book and laid before the overseers or their committee that by their authority and admonition such rudeness and immorality may be restrained and peace and good order maintained and all obstinate, perverse and unruly persons punished according to their crimes."
"That such as shall duly observe the foregoing order and faithfully perform their several duties shall be entitled to one penny out of every shilling they earn to be disposed of by the overseers for their greater comfort."
"That whereas some slothful persons may pretend sickness or lame- ness to excuse themselves from labors it is ordered that such persons shall pass a proper examination by the physician and if it should ap- pear from his report and other concurring circumstances that those persons made false excuses they shall be punished by such an addi- tional labor to their daily stint or some other way as the overseers or their committee shall determine."
"That no persons presume to beg money or any other thing directly or indirectly from any person that shall come to the house to visit on penalty of being denied their next meal."
"That no person presume to go out of the house without liberty and that everyone that obtains leave shall return in good order at the time appointed on penalty of being denied going ont for one month for the first offense and for three months for every offense afterwards."
"That if any person shall neglect to repair to their proper places for work or being there shall refuse to work, loiter or be idle, or shall not well perform the task of work set them, or shall wasteand spoil any of the materials or tools of the several manufactures, or shall deface the walls or break the windows, or shall disturb the house by clamour quarrelling fighting or abusive language, or shall bring any strong liquors into the house withont leave, or shall be absent from divine service without, reasonable excuse, or profane the Sabbath, or carry it
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disrespectfully to their governor, or shall be guilty of lying or wanton and lascivious behaviour, or shall drink to exeess, or steal, or profanely curse and swear, or in any other respect aet immorally or irregularly, they shall be punished cither by denying them a meal or a whole day's allowanee, or by gagging, or by causing them to wear a eollar ronnd their necks with a wooden clog, or by obliging them to stand on a stool in a public place with a paper fixed on their waist denoting the erime in capitals for the space of one hour, or by ordering them into the dungeon to be kept with bread and water not exceeding forty-eight hours, or by an addition of labor to their daily task aeeording to the nature and circumstance of their erime."
"That if any person in the house shall discover any other person who shall be guilty of any of the foregoing offenses such person shall receive some reward or eneouragement as shall be ordered by the over- scers or their committee, and if any person shall know of any of the offenses aforesaid and doth not diseover the same such person shall be punished according to the discretion of the overseers."
"That the overseers at their monthly meeting or the committee of overseers be further empowered to punish sueh persons as shall be legally committed to the house and who shall threaten or attempt to make their escape or such as having made their eseape shall be again committed by fixing a wooden dog with an iron chain to one of the legs of such offenders." "Small beer may be given as there may be oeca- sion."
In 1803 attention was again called to the support of the poor in Providenee. At that time forty-one persons, of whom twenty-six were children, were wholly dependent upon the town for support. Most of these were boarded out with those who would eontraet to keep them at the smallest cost. Their support with that of others who were but partially dependent aggregated for the year ending June, 1803, the sum of $3,660. At this time it was recommended by a committee appointed to consider the matter that until an almshouse for the poor and another house for the idle, intemperate and disorderly eould be erected, the overseers of the poor should continue in their old method of sending a few to the "Old Workhouse" and boarding out the greater part with whomever would take them for the least money. No change was made in method until long after this date.
On the 10th of August, 1824, Ebenezer Knight Dexter died, leaving the bulk of his fortune accumulated in Providence and amounting to some $60,000 to be used for the benefit of the poor of his native town.1 Such a gift was received with expressions of profound gratitude by the people. The fund was to be denominated the Dexter Donation and was to be under the control of five commissioners who should be
"Staples's Annals, 389.
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known as the Commissioners of the Dexter Donation. Isaac Brown, Caleb Earle and Truman Beckwith were made a building committee, who proceeded at once to erect an asyhun in accordance with views which had been expressed by Mr. Dexter, the cost of which amounted to $43,000. The location had been selected by Mr. Dexter on high land about a half mile in a northeasterly direction from Market Square. The building was made to front the south, being 170 fect long and consisting of three sections, a center and two wings. The center measured 50 feet front and 55 feet from front to rear, projecting 10 feet in advance of the wings. Each wing measured 60 by 45 feet, and was two stories in height. The center building was three stories high, and in the third story was a commodious chapel. The roof of the center building was surmounted by a finely proportioned cupola with ball and vane. The style of architecture was Roman Doric. It stood and still stands on a plot of ground containing about 40 acres, surrounded, by the explicit directions of Mr. Dexter, with a stone wall 3 feet thick, 8 feet high and 6,220 feet in length, its cost being about $22,000.
This asylum was first occupied in 1828 with sixty-four inmates, five of them children. Mr. Gideon Palmer was the first master, holding this position for many years. In 1842 the number of inmates had increased to one hundred and three, fifteen of whom were children. Such as were able to do so were required to labor for the city, though it was soon discovered that a person who could not support himself at large must be able to contribute but little towards his own support in an asylum. The wants of the sick and feeble poor were now better than ever before supplied, and the sorrows of poverty-stricken age were greatly lessened. One-fourth, however, of all the inmates were insanc. The disadvantages arising from their presence soon appeared. The sane were rendered less comfortable than they otherwise might have been and the expense of the institution was greatly increased. At the same time little could be done to improve the mental condition of the insanc. But at that time and for many years subsequent to that date, no better way of taking care of the insane appeared.
Four different modes of providing for the poor were now pursued in the various towns of the state.1 As late as the year 1850 the custom of selling the care of these at public auction to the lowest bidder still prevailed to some extent. The cruelty of this ought to have sooner con- demned it everywhere. Practically it was offering a reward to the avarice and inhumanity of the man who would consent to neglect them more flagrantly and to inflict upon them a worse abuse than any other man in town could be induced to practice.
It was useless to resolve that only the bids of good men should be 1Hazard's Report.
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STATE OF RHODE ISLAND AND PROVIDENCE PLANTATIONS.
taken, and that overseers should visit them from time to time and that bonds should be required from the sueeessful bidders for their proper treatment. Then, as now, a bad man was often a good politieian, and there was never any guaranty that such a man might not be at onee both overseer and surety of the keeper as well as a sharer in the profits of his venture. A humane and eonseientious man eould seareely be a keeper of the poor. There was small hope that the poor would in any ease be made comfortable under this system. There were indeed sueh instanees, but they were rare exeeptions to the rule.
Some towns eontraeted with an approved individual or with a num- ber of sueh individuals for the maintenance of their poor, a method certainly far superior to the auetion bloek, and when earried out in good faith with a liberal spirit differing but little in merit from that of the asylum into which many who must receive publie aid were compelled to go. A better plan than either of these was rapidly growing in favor. That of plaeing in an asylum or almshouse sueh as were homeless, friendless and helpless, and administering a measure of outdoor relief to such as were not so utterly bereft. If this method afforded some opportunities for imposition on the part of the poor, it eould only be through the eonnivanee, earelessness or negleet of officials ; while each of the other plans noted was sure to subjeet the poor to impositions which they were less able than the publie to endure. The better way was inereasingly recognized and aeted upon as the years passed, till in 1850 not less than fifteen of the thirty-one towns in the state were thus providing for their dependent poor, each sus- taining an asylum located on a farm which was the property of the town.
In this year (1850) under a resolution adopted by the legislature, the Governor appointed Mr. Thomas R. Hazard to inquire into the pro- visions made for the support of the poor and the insane throughout the state. He visited all the towns, exeept New Shoreham, and per- sonally inspeeted the several asylums, learning the names of all in- mates, making himself familiar with the faets of each ease so far as this was possible, and making voluminous notes of his observations. Sueli a work had never before been attempted. It was well and thor- oughly done. What he saw he told, good and evil alike. A man of generous heart and sympathetie impulses, independent judgment and fearless utteranee, eareless of favor and regardless of eensure, he pre- sented a report which was of great value.1 He found much to eom- mend and not a little to eondemn, and with equal eandor, he bestowed upon eaeh what was its due. He named the town in which he found most of humanity and of a wise kindness, and the other town in which he eould diseover little beside rudeness, vulgarity and brutal
1Hazard's Report on the Poor and Insane in Rhode Island, made to the general assembly at its January session, 1851.
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treatment of the helpless ; the town where were cleanliness, good cheer and a plenty of wholesome, well cooked food, and the town where were dirt, despair and an insufficient supply of half grown, soggy and inedi- ble potatoes, constituting the entire bill of fare for a dinner to be eaten by a collection of unfortunates, consisting mainly of aged women and children under twelve years of age; the town whose rules for the gov- ernment of its asylum were nearly all in the way of duties and restric- tions laid upon the keeper and matron and designed only to secure the comfort and well being of those committed to their charge, and the town whose rules were admirably calculated to make easy all manner of abuses, prescribing for slight offenses modes of punishment which can be suitably characterized by no word weaker than inhumanity. He said of some towns, calling these by names, that their asylums were pleasantly and conveniently located and well arranged to accommodate those for whose comfort they were established, and that these were con- ducted in a wise and benevolent spirit; and he said of the poor in another town, calling this town by name, that he found them "in the most deplorable conditions imaginable. The house in which they were huddled was old and dilapidated and the furniture provided by the town was absolutely unfit for the use of the most degraded savages. The mattresses and bed clothing were filthy and ragged, not a sheet or pillow case was to be seen, and I afterward understood that the town did not deem such articles necessary, and therefore were not in the practice of furnishing them. The chairs were more or less broken or worn out and there was but one in the house that had both back and bottom. A poor, helpless, palsied female who had not stood for years was braced in the skeleton of one of these by its being stuffed with rags." Though the delinquent town might be the one in which he had his own residence, he saw in this fact no reason why he should mince matters. Mr. Hazard's report created a sensation, not only in the legislature, but throughout the state. It was printed by order of the legislature, and was widely circulated. It had an immediate practical effect. Towns which had done well were encouraged to do better. Towns which had done ill were stimulated to improve matters within their borders. It is a fact which, though not surprising, is worthy of note, that the towns then at the head of the line are those in which most is now done for the poor, and towns which then did least are still among the most backward.
A direct result of the feeling thus aroused was the immediate pas- sage by the general assembly of the following act: "Section 1. Corporal punishment and confinement in dark rooms or dun- geons are prohibited at asylums and houses for the poor in this state. Section 2. No paupers shall hereafter be closely confined at any such asylum or poor house for a longer period than five days for any one offense; and in all cases
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of elose confinement, it shall be the duty of the commissioners and offieers of asylums and poor houses to report the same to the Town or City Couneil as often as once in three months, stating the name of the pauper together with the offense and period of his confinement. Section 3. The use of chains in asylums for the poor and in poor houses or of any other bonds intended to confine the limbs of paupers is hereby abolished and forever prohibited in this state, exeepting in such in- stances as they may be necessary to effect the removal of insane per- sons to a curative hospital or to take and detain in eustody a pauper charged with the commission of crime."
The enstom of boarding out paupers upon the best terms obtainable, the best terms for the town usually being the worst terms for the pau- pers, fell more and more into disfavor, as the hardships which it involved became better and more generally understood. Twenty years later the number of towns in the state not owning asylums and farms for the poor was reduced to eight, and although at this date Mr. G. W. Wightman, then superintendent of state eharities, reported that some towns did themselves no eredit by the manner in which they cared for their poor, it remains that the standard had been in the meantime greatly elevated so that a provision for paupers which would be at this date rightly regarded with small favor might have been in 1850 es- teemed not at all disereditable.1
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