The farm was by this time self sustaining, raising its own crops and livestock. It housed, according to the records, “three insane persons, two raving lunatics, and one entirely naked man whom it is impossible to keep clothed.” Other reports from 1863 state that the main building housed 36 inmates. The County Board granted permission in 1863 for an annex and the next year a “22 foot square” outbuilding was built with an 8 foot ceiling. These visits were usually a big deal and held with “much fanfare.” The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors would arrange annual visits to the home to make sure the “clients” were properly cared for. Wadley Favor was superintendent during this time. In the fall of 1861, the farm served 39 persons, six who were insane, three of these had to be confined. Lter it would be expanded to include unidentified transients, suicides and those who could not afford a “proper funeral.” It was decided that the county would place a “potter’s field” cemetery in the back of the property. At first, only the inmates who passed away were laid to rest behind the building. In the fall of 1856, there were forty nine people served by the farm during the year, eight of them died. When the temperatures rose, the stench that came from these inmates was ”unhealthy and unbearable.” During inclement weather and colder temperatures, they were penned in cells that were placed near the kitchen wall. This was a time when care of the mentally ill consisted of confining them, not caring for them. The conditions under which they lived was no better than if they were animals. During warm weather, the completely insane were kept in a “stockade” that was open to the elements. ![]() ![]() The need for housing was a problem almost immediately when a cholera outbreak filled the small farmhouse to capacity. The County Board decided to move the house to land located on North Main Street at the present day site of the River Bluff Nursing Home. It was decided to buy the farm of John DeGroot located on Elmwood Road. Their solution was to develop a working farm that would be sustained by its own crops grown by the people housed at the farm. ![]() The county realized it needed to deal with the issue of those people who were not able to support themselves and the issue of those deemed insane. The Winnebago County Board of Supervisors voted to look for available land for purchase in 1853.
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