1870 - Changes at the Home

An 1876 law stated that judges could no longer commit any child over age 3 or under age 16 to a county poorhouse. That same year city water was supplied to the Home. By 1877, the county paid board of $2.26 a week per child. Volunteers taught basketwork, shoe mending, and sewing. The children held fairs to raise money. Gas lighting was installed in 1879, easing fears about the use of many oil lamps. In 1879, it was decided that the Home could no longer keep boys over 12, “the narrow confines not being sufficient for their youthful energies and restless nature.”