GREENE: Resident suggests alternate use for county poor farm land

By Editor | April 5, 2023 |

By Carmen Ensinger

For almost 75 years, Greene County has been renting out the land on which the Almshouse sits – part for farming and part for pasture land, but at the March County Board meeting, that process was called into question by Bob Gillingham, a Carrollton resident.
“The Greene County Board has inherited a situation that dates back to 1869 when 160 acres was purchased for $4,800 from Thomas Boyd and John Long,” Gillingham said. “This land was purchased for the purpose of establishing a location and a means of providing for the indigent citizens of the county.”
The following year, 1870, the grand Italianate building was constructed on the land and 30 residents including vagrants, paupers, the elderly, orphans and physically and mentally ill were moved in.
Residents at the almshouse worked on grain and livestock farms, vegetable gardens and, in later years, fruit orchards on the property. According to the State Board of Public Charities, the residents of the almshouse experienced “excellent” living conditions, in contrast to many of the state’s other county poorhouses.
Those who were able farmed the land, tended to the livestock and tended to the gardens that provided the food for the residents.
However, by the 20th century the almshouse gradually became a home for the elderly rather than a general poorhouse. By 1910, the majority of the residents were over 60 years old. By 1928, that number had increased to 90 percent.
In 1932, when Illinois formally shifted to a statewide direct welfare program, this largely removed the need for the county almshouse program and the almshouse doors closed officially in 1950.
“At that time, farming operations ceased, the farm equipment was sold at public auction and provisions were made to lease the acreage to local farmers on a cash rent basis,” Gillingham said. “That arrangement has continued for the past 73 years. Now the current practice of leasing the farmland as a source of revenue for the county has been called into question.”
Gillingham maintains that the land was never supposed to be used as a source of revenue for the county.
“Now rather than considering this situation as problematic, the board could address it as an opportunity. How this situation has manifested itself matters little,” he said. “How it is addressed matters greatly. The poor farm served its purpose well. Even intervening indecisions contributed to the opportunities of today.
The opportunity Gillingham is referring to is conservation.
“Conservatism provokes much disagreement today,” he said. “Is it conserving what we have or returning to a preserved better time in the past? Conservation offers solutions from both perspectives. Land conservation methods could provide significant benefits to both.”
According to Gillingham, Greene County is in a unique situation.
“If someone were to propose to the board a vision to purchase a large plot of farm land for the purpose of establishing a nature preserve at the cost of a couple of million dollars, the idea would likely be scrapped immediately,” he said. “The monetary cost would outweigh any social benefits that might be proposed. Thankfully, the cost factor is of little concern now.”
The 160 acres that the county bought for $4,800 in 1869 would be worth roughly $1,440,000 now using the 2022 estimate of Illinois farm ground selling at approximately $9,000 per acre. Considering the county paid $30 an acre for it, one could say they might be a very good investment.
“Man did not create this land, but he does have the responsibility to respect and protect it to the best of his ability,” Gillingham said. “How that is accomplished is dependent on his individual and collective soul. That soul is inescapable. That soul, like nature itself, does not die. Even through injury, misuse, or even death, it survives and will, at some future time, flourish. Nature does not make mistakes and generally will find ways to correct those made by man.”
Gillingham said that everything that originally attracted settlers to Greene County can be brought back.
“The pristine nature of Greene County, including lush prairies, stately oak trees and abundant wildlife were three of the elements that attracted settlers to this area more than 200 years ago,” he said. “With available planning by local, state and federal agencies, this acreage could once again take on much of its original appeal. Such a choice could ensure a legacy of respect for the land that would be appreciated by future generations.”