The County Almshouse

About

1804 “old quarter” kitchen at Barrier Island Center
The public records available, while incomplete in early times, span most of the Almshouse’s years of operation. They provide a view of social and medical assistance in Northampton County as it was transitioned away from the Church of England, then administered and modified from post-revolutionary times, through the Civil War years, reconstruction, World War I, the Great Depression, various WPA projects, and then winding down its functions after the close of WWII. The farm’s land holdings changed along with the social and political times , being reconfigured, and re-apportioned during the construction of the railroad in 1884, and later with paving of Rt 13. It originally extended eastward beyond the highway, and westward to the Bayside Road.

The last year of operation for the Almshouse was documented in Northampton County Board of Supervisors minutes from 1946. Mr. Goodwin Underhill resigned as Superintendent of Poor at that time. The Farm facilities continued to be used for storage and practical purposes until sold at public auction in 1953.

Information from the Revolutionary Shore Driving Tour