Ulster County Poorhouse Project

Timeline

Date	Source Document	Information
April 16, 1823	NYS Report	Yates Report of the Secretary of State in 1824 on the Relief and Settlement of the Poor. Read the Ulster section of this Report.
Nov. 27, 1824	NYS Law	1824 Law establishing County Poorhouses in New York State (Ulster County was exempted). Law includes provisions for paupers, disorderly persons and children who beg and outline duties of the Board of Supervisors, Superintendents, and Keepers. Read the content of this law.
Dec. 1, 1827	Articles of Agreement	Thomas Merritt agrees to deed County 50 ½ acres for $1,800.00
Dec. 1, 1827	Articles of Agreement	Jeremiah Merritt of Rochester County agrees to deed Ulster County 60 acres for $2000.00
1830	Census	In residence: 75 males, 50 females – 1 blind (black), 3 blind (white) 1 deaf & dumb
1850	Census	Click here to see the 1850 Census information for the County Poorhouse
June 1853	Law	Ch. 342 – Act to Provide for the Creation of a County Poorhouse in the county of Ulster - County can borrow $3,000 - Superintendent shall locate the site for Poorhouse upon County Farm not far distant from that occupied by the last Poorhouse - Cost is not to exceed $3,000.
Jan. 9, 1857	NYS Report	NY State Report of Select Committee appointed to visit Charitable Institutions supported by the State, and all city and county poor and work houses and jails. Read the Ulster section of this report.
Jan. 18, 1861	(New Paltz Times) NPT	Reported that a new house should be built for the “colored” & the insane. Conditions are reported to be bad.
Nov. 1861	Supt. Report	137 paupers - $27.85 cost per year per pauper
Dec. 10, 1861	Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors	Report of Examination of the Poorhouse: -buildings for Keeper & white poor in good condition, except the roof - building for the “colored” & the one used for the insane in very poor condition
1862	Annual Supt. Report	A new building has been erected for the insane poor
Dec. 6, 1862	NPT	Reported that: - The insane poor are treated miserably - The building is a half story high, a larger building needs to be erected. - A house for the contagious also needs to be built-a few months ago a victim of small pox was left to die in a shanty in the woods - a plea for Bd. of Supervisors to examine the Poorhouse
Jan. 30, 1863	NPT	Mr. Story is the Superintendent – the buildings were never in better condition & a day school has been established
1868	Supt. Report	Committee was appointed to decide if the Wallkill Valley Railroad should run through the Poorhouse grounds.
1870	Census	Click here to see the 1870 Census information for the County Poorhouse
Jan. 6, 1870	NPT	County Board of Supervisors as a committee visited the Poorhouse. Findings: - the farm was well managed - good plan for vegetable raising – institution should become almost self-sustaining - Ms. Ketcham & her daughter have a good character - Everything is done for the comfort of the inmates - Four Poorhouse physicians said as good ventilation as possible in the building for the insane - it could use a furnace
Dec. 15, 1870	NPT	Board of Supervisors visited the Poorhouse. Mr.& Mrs. Ketcham were praised. Cleanliness & decorum prevailed. Ketcham will retire Jan. 1. Mr. Winne will be his successor.
Nov. 1871	Supt. Report	126 paupers; $38.32 cost per pauper per year
Dec. 21, 1871	New Paltz Independent (NPI)	The Supervisors visited the Poorhouse & are satisfied with Mr. Winne’s care of the inmates
July 10, 1873	NPI	Article reports: - Full description of horrible conditions at the Poorhouse – the stench, no ventilation, no bathing facilities -Questions the Bd. of Supervisors official sanction of these arrangements Click here to read full the article.
May 2, 1876	NPT	13 children are to be taken to Susquehanna Valley Home in accordance with the law passed by legislature last winter. The law states that all children between ages 3-14 shall be taken from the County House & placed in asylums or private facilities.
Nov. 1879	Supt. Report	$54.75 per pauper cost per year. Supervisor Vandevoort is under suspect – discrepancies in the bills
1880	Census	A supplemental schedule for the 1880 census was issued for the defective, dependent and delinquent classes. Click here to view the contents.
Jan. 15, 1880	NPI	Seven different articles about financial scandal regarding Supt. Vandevoort
Dec. 17, 1886	NPI	Ulster Poorhouse – Two sides to the Story (from the Kingston Leader) A report credited to the Bd. of Supervisors condemning the Poorhouse & then a report by Supt.Saxton defending the House.
Dec. 17, 1890	NPT	The Commissioner of Lunacy ordered all 38 male insane men to the Hudson River Asylum. George Johnson, ex-keeper of the Poorhouse, appointed keeper of Hudson River State Hospital
April 1, 1891	NPT	Gov. Hill made an appropriation of $454,850 to carry out law that was just passed to transfer the insane from County to State Asylum.
Nov. 11, 1891	NPT	The total amount of bills from Poorhouse was $10,447.69. Hon. John Winfield, elected Superintendent of the Poor
July 13, 1892	NPT	A call made to the Poorhouse & found Winfield and his wife are doing a good job.
Nov. 9, 1892	NPT	Governor Flower visited the site ¼ mile west of the Poorhouse to preview a site for the location of a Reformatory at the Ulster County Poorhouse.
Dec. 21, 1892	NPT	The New Insane Act goes into effect. Notification was sent ot all concerned institutions. The insane were no longer to be brought to the Poorhouse for examination, but examined in their own residences.
Dec. 1, 1893	Industrial Home of Kingston Annual Report	Baby Shelter opened. Before this time, there was no real facilities for children under two – they had to be boarded out to families.$400 was granted to open a Baby Shelter.
Sept. 28, 1900	NPI	Under Supt. Sammons 2 new hay houses & a poultry coop have been built & all the out buildings have been renovated. All the labor has been done by the inmates, therefore no charge to the county.
Jan. 1, 1901	Newspaper	Almshouse Exposed – Bd. of Charities Denounces its present condition, mentions the two cemeteries. Hogs are allowed to roam over the burial grounds.
1904	U.S. Govt. Report	Special Reports, Paupers in Alms Houses published. Outline of laws governing the poor in each state. See NY section of report.

Information transcribed from early archival records may contain language and terminology that reveal certain social and cultural standards of that time. Those terms and words are included here, not to endorse those standards, but to report the content of the records as accurately as possible.

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