County Farm of Peoria County, IL ... Genealogy Trails

Peoria County, Illinois Genealogy Trails

County Farm Report 1911

PEORIA COUNTY FARM— JUNE 13, 1911. D. J.
DAVIS, Superintendent, Hanna City.
The Peoria county farm is located at Maxwell station, which is reached from Peoria via the Iowa Central railroad.
The mens' building is a large two-story brick, which extends east and west. The superintendent lives near the western end of the building.
Immediately east of the keeper's quarters, the women live. Their sitting room is barely furnished, but is light and well ventilated.
Their rooms are located on either side of a hall, which extends east and west. The north rooms are dark. Many of the women are provided with rockers.
The wood work is badly in need of paint. Each floor is provided with hose. There is a bath room on every floor, and a common wash room.
The women's quarters are clean, the beds are dressed in white and are free from vermin.
Doors lead from the women's quarters to a wing used for men; they are always locked. The men's rooms are arranged on the east and west sides
of a dark hall. Some of the rooms are large enough for four beds. Colored spreads are used for men. There are no bugs on the beds, although there
are many walls which are constantly treated for vermin in this wing. No light is furnished for the rooms. Coal oil lamps are used in the halls.
In the basement, of the eastern wing, many men have rooms. A sitting room is placed in the basement, where men spend much of their time in smoking.
The dining rooms, kitchen, store rooms, and bakery are in the basement. The floors are of cement and are in need of repair. Many walls need repainting.
Meats, lard, milk are kept in the basement. West of the superintendent's rooms are rooms for men. The clothes' room, barber shop, shoe shop are placed here. The laundry is in a detached building; all the machinery is run by steam. The heating plant is in a separate building. The water tanks are in the attic.
The hospital is a two-story brick, east of the main building. Miss Carrie Stephenson, a trained nurse, is matron. Three practical nurses assist her.
The plastering is broken off in many places; some of the floors are rough.
There are no single rooms; this is not only undesirable from the standpoint of patients, who have noisy room-mates, but in case of contagious
disease, there is no adequate place for segregation. Men occupy the first floor and the basement. Chronic cases are confined in the basement.
The dining room and kitchen are in the basement. On the second floor, are a maternity room, several bed rooms, and wards for women.
One boy of three and one-half years occupied a room with many sick women. There is an operating room which is rarely used.
Tubercular patients are confined in a frame covered tent. There are thirty-nine patients in the hospital, which is usually crowded.
A diet of eggs, milk, etc., is furnished for the sick. A doctor or his assistant visits the hospital twice a week and oftener, if called.
Services are held each Sunday in a chapel, located on the farm. The farm is well managed and the house well ordered.
If more room were provided, electric light installed, and the interior wood work, floors and walls repaired, the Peoria farm would be in very good condition.

Source: Reports of Inspections of the County Infirmaries of Illinois in 1911 SECOND ANNUAL REPORT OF THE State Charities Commission, By Illinois State Charities Commission, December 31, 1911
Transcribed by Candi H. -2009