October 9, 2004
POORHOUSES
Clark Howard mentioned poorhouses today, and I thought "Never seen one of those". We all know about them, but who has actually seen a real one? They pretty much went the way of the buggy whip after the advent of Social Security, whereby even the most penniless old farts had at least enough income for a single-wide, and some Alpo.
I'll bet poorhouses sucked very badly. Horrid accommodations, sadistic staff, weevily food. Hell, if I keep this up I may convince the gummint to grant the Velocihovel a place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Count me out. I'd rather be a hobo with a withered-titty old hen of a wife, living off tin can scrapings, than be manacled to a gulag of a poorhouse farm.
Here's a nice postcard of the Chatham County poorhouse (a postcard! Having a ball! Wish you were here!)
Are you sure that's only a poorhouse? The manner of design and placement looks very much like a correctional facility.
Posted by: jack straw at October 9, 2004 8:19 AMI must admit, I can't fathom a 'poor house' of old, but in my younger days I sure lived in a few! My grandma had a favorite saying "Can't died in the poor house",,,took me years to figure out who the hell can't was!
Posted by: Michele at October 9, 2004 9:00 AMThat looks like Brown's Farm, if I recall correctly. My dad told me of a local Savannah judge whose usual sentence for local hoodlums was something like "40 green or 40 Brown". I think my dad knew his way around the place.
Posted by: tybee mike at October 9, 2004 10:02 AM