EARLY HISTORY OF THE COUNTY HOME

In 1865, the Wood County Board of Commissioners agreed to move ahead on plans to build a poor farm. By 1867, they had raised the funds necessary to buy 160 acres southeast of Bowling Green. They followed up by accepting bids on the building contract and hiring the first of several Superintendents.

When The Home opened its doors in 1869, six residents from the County Insane Farm in Perrysburg moved in. By the 1870s, sixty-five Wood County residents called the infirmary home. The additional people sparked additional construction, including the chicken coop, the power house and the addition of a third floor on the infirmary building.

At the time, it was believed that a poor work ethic was the cause of unemployment, so the Infirmary was seen as a way of rehabilitating those in need of work. Hindsight being 20/20, one might now notice that the industrialization of agriculture drastically cut the number of men needed to complete tasks on the average farm, putting thousands of farm hands out of work. Nevertheless, all residents (then known as "inmates") of the infirmary who were physically able conducted the daily chores that made The Home a self-sufficient farm.

Duties on the farm included tending to the almost 150 acres of farmland. Livestock on the farm included dairy cattle, chickens, sheep, hogs and horses. Inmates were charged with a number of the chores that kept the farm in working order. Female inmates helped tend to the infirmary's garden, canning fruits and vegetables and occasionally assisted in the preparation of meals.

Still other residents aided the bedridden inmates of The Home. A large sitting room in the center wing provided a place for the elderly inmates to spend time together.

The early days of the American welfare system were plagued with corruption and political scandal, but the Wood County Infirmary wasn't like many of the other poor farms in the country. Due in part to the long terms of service from two Superintendents, The Home became one of the more successful institutions of its kind.

In 1878, Edwin Farmer and his wife Charlotte were hired as the new Superintendent and Matron of the infirmary. The Farmer years were marked by a number of important events, including the first discovery of natural gas in Wood County on the grounds of the infirmary. That well, drilled in 1884 by Andrew Byers and M.O. Ladd, was the first of many on the site that helped provide fuel to the boiler, stoves and lights in The Home. The Lunatic Asylum and the cattle barn and were also built during the Farmers' stay at the infirmary.

Additionally, in 1898, the County Commissioners found that the east and center wings were in disrepair and decided to demolish them and build the structures that reside in their places today.

As the 20th Century arrived, the infirmary met with some misfortune, including the exhaustion of the gas supply and a flu epidemic that took the lives of eight inmates in 1900. In 1904, Superintendent Farmer passed away and was replaced by Frank Brandeberry, the husband of Farmer's daughter, Lottie.

The Brandeberrys had a successful 45 year tenure at the infirmary. Near the beginning of the Brandeberry administration, the ice house was built, allowing for the harvesting of ice from the infirmary reservoir.

Another of the major changes to the site during the Brandeberry's term at The Home was the addition of what is now referred to as the Brandeberry Wall. The stone wall and concrete picket fence that still encloses the front and side yards of the site were completed by an inmate and Brandeberry himself around 1925. The wall was restored in 1995 by A. Schooner.

In 1949, Frank and Lottie Brandeberry retired, and the final years of the Wood County Infirmary began. State and federal legislation had moved the mentally ill, the orphaned and many of the homeless to other types of facilities, and by the 1950s, The Home's primary function was that of a nursing home for the elderly. Despite improvements to the site's power plant, the infirmary was still considerably deficient when it came to meeting modern codes for care giving institutions. This deficiency led a Citizens Committee to propose the construction of a new county home. On February 15, 1971, the residents of the infirmary were moved to a new County Home about a half a mile away. The County Commissioners proposed that the old building be torn down.

It was then that Lyle Fletcher, secretary of the Park Commission and editor and archivist of the Wood County Historical Society, organized a movement to save the building. The infirmary building and grounds were turned over to the Wood County Park Commission for use as a park. Buildings not used by the Park Commission were allocated to the Wood County Historical Society for the creation of a local history museum.

In 1975, the Wood County Historical Center and Museum opened its doors to the public, providing just three rooms of exhibit space in the West Wing. Today, the majority of the original infirmary building has been converted into space used for historical exhibits. Almost all of the items held here have been donated by area residents. Contemporary visitors to the former Wood County Infirmary can expect a variety of educational experiences, including information on the original uses of the building as well as a wealth of information on the significant history of Wood County and Northwestern Ohio.