Van Zandt County Poor Farm

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker has to say about the Van Zandt County Poor Farm, and it's a story worth slowing down for. In the early days of Van Zandt County, if you fell on hard times, you leaned on family. You leaned on your church, or on whatever charitable organization was willin to reach out a hand.

That was the way of it. But after the Civil War, the number of indigents across Texas grew so high that the old ways couldn't hold the weight. So an addendum was added to the state constitution, shifting the responsibility for care of the poor squarely onto each county's shoulders.

The counties would have to figure it out themselves. Van Zandt County started figurin in 1877, when the Commissioners Court authorized a search for an appropriate site for a county poor farm. Now, searching is one thing.

Finding is another. Seven years passed. Seven years of people still needing help, of the county still sorting through options, before County Judge John S.

Spinks finally moved in August of 1884. He appointed several men to go out and find land near Canton, purchase it, and get something built. The site they chose was 339 acres, sitting about four miles south of Canton.

Not a bad piece of ground for the purpose. M.V. Burns was brought on as the first superintendent appointed and paid by the county, charged with overseeing the farm, cleaning up the land, and completing improvements to the site.

Mr. Burns, however, resigned in 1885, and Hugh Guinn stepped in to complete his term. The work went on.

The first known residents of the poor farm were two ladies declared paupers by the Commissioners Court in March of 1886. After them came the elderly. Widows with children and no means of support.

And some who had been convicted of petty crimes, working at the farm to pay off their fines. This place held all of them, sheltered all of them, fed all of them. By 1901, County Judge John W.

Davidson decided the operation needed more room. He authorized the sale of the original poor farm and purchased a larger site in the same area. That same year, a calaboose was built on the new site, fourteen by sixteen feet, for the safekeeping of convicts at night.

That structure, small and plain and built to last, is still standing. Those who died at the poor farm were buried in the poor farm cemetery. The land kept them too, in the end.

The Van Zandt County Poor Farm ran until October 1928. Forty-two years of shelter, food, and a ready means of subsistence for citizens who had nothing else. No drama in that sentence, just the plain weight of it.

Forty-two years of a county deciding that the people at the bottom of their luck still counted for something. That's the whole of the story, and it's enough.

What the marker says

IN THE EARLY DAYS OF VAN ZANDT COUNTY, FAMILIES, CHURCHES AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS TOOK CARE OF PEOPLE IN NEED. AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, THE HIGH NUMBER OF INDIGENTS FORCED AN ADDENDUM TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION MAKING CARE FOR THE POOR THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH COUNTY. IN 1877, THE VAN ZANDT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT AUTHORIZED A SEARCH FOR AN APPROPRIATE SITE FOR A COUNTY POOR FARM. AFTER SEVEN YEARS, IN AUGUST 1884, COUNTY JUDGE JOHN S. SPINKS APPOINTED SEVERAL MEN TO FIND AND PURCHASE LAND NEAR CANTON TO ESTABLISH A POOR FARM. THE SITE CHOSEN CONTAINED 339 ACRES ABOUT FOUR MILES SOUTH OF CANTON. M.V. BURNS WAS THE FIRST APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENT PAID BY THE COUNTY TO OVERSEE THE FARM, CLEAN UP THE LAND AND COMPLETE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SITE. MR. BURNS RESIGNED IN 1885 AND HUGH GUINN TOOK OVER TO COMPLETE HIS TERM. THE FIRST KNOWN RESIDENTS OF THE POOR FARM WERE TWO LADIES DECLARED PAUPERS IN MARCH 1886 BY THE COMMISSIONERS COURT. OTHER RESIDENTS INCLUDED THE ELDERLY, WIDOWS WITH CHILDREN WHO HAD NO MEANS OF SUPPORT AND THOSE CONVICTED OF PETTY CRIMES WHO WOULD WORK AT THE FARM TO PAY OFF THEIR FINES. IN 1901, COUNTY JUDGE JOHN W. DAVIDSON AUTHORIZED THE SALE OF THE POOR FARM AND BOUGHT A LARGER SITE IN THE SAME AREA. A 14 BY 16 FEET CALABOOSE WAS BUILT ON THE NEW SITE IN 1901 FOR THE SAFEKEEPING OF CONVICTS AT NIGHT. THE STRUCTURE IS STILL STANDING. AFTER THE POOR FARM WAS ESTABLISHED, PAUPERS WERE BURIED IN THE POOR FARM CEMETERY. THE FARM WAS OPERATIONAL UNTIL OCTOBER 1928. THE VAN ZANDT COUNTY POOR FARM PROVIDED POVERTY-STRICKEN CITIZENS WITH SHELTER, FOOD AND A READY MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE FOR 42 YEARS.