TOPEKA (KSNT) — The Shawnee County North Community Center welcomed the public on Sunday, April 19, for a walking presentation highlighting the building’s history, once known as the Shawnee County Poor Farm.
The site served as a refuge for residents facing financial hardship, medical challenges or old age before the creation of Social Security, according to Shawnee County Parks and Recreation rec leader Devin Cooper. Instead of assistance going directly to individuals, Cooper said funding was provided to institutions that cared for people in need at the time.
Cooper said the building’s history stands out because it was designed to serve what she described as societal outcasts, including people who ended up there through bad luck or circumstance.
“We’ve got people who are here just from bad luck because they broke their leg, you know?” Cooper said. “I don’t believe there is a modern kind of equivalent to a county farm, which makes it unique.”
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Unlike other historic sites in Topeka — such as Ward-Meade Park, the Kansas Capitol and Gage Park — Cooper said the poor farm was not developed by wealthy individuals seeking to shape the city’s growth, but rather by the county to provide care for vulnerable residents.
“I think the reason I like telling the story about the county farm is because this is the other side of that,” Cooper said. “The people here would have been the lowest rungs of society. That story should also be told because it’s equally important, and it still feels very relevant in modern society.”
Cooper said the stories tied to the site feel relatable because everyone eventually grows older and may need help. She said the records show the poor farm housed people from many walks of life, including bootleggers and Civil War veterans, all connected to Shawnee County.
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