"Working Places / Places that Work"

8th Annual Preservation Week 2006 Photo-Essay Competition

2nd Place: Julia Ross, 7th Grade, St. Mary School (Paducah)

Title: The County Farm/Sanatorium

The Sanatorium on Bleich Road in Paducah, Kentucky was a lifesaver for many people. The Sanatorium, or County Farm as it was also called, was built in the early 1900s. It was used to house the poor elderly farmers who no longer had living family to take care of them. It was a long time before anyone ever considered social security. The county paid a doctor, a maid, a cook, and an assistant cook. The administrator’s wife was paid to oversee all of the staff and meals. All people there had their meals cooked for them, and they all ate in the kitchen. They were also provided with clothing and medical service around the clock. The Sanatorium consisted of five wards and the main house.

The administrator lived in the main house.  On two occasions, the county physician was the administrator. When the administrator was not a physician, the county doctor would make rounds there. The administrators were paid by the county, and had four-year terms. There was a white women’s ward, a black women’s ward, white men’s ward, and a black men’s ward. The fifth ward was the tuberculosis ward. It was about a block away from the main area.

The Sanatorium has very interesting architecture. The house has Georgian style construction. It has four huge columns in the front accompanied by a balcony. The house was designed to be beautiful. You could tell it was built with great care. After all, it is over 100 years old, and it is still in good condition. There is a frieze over the attic. When I toured it in mid-February, even though it was very warm outside, since the walls were so thick, it was still cool inside the house. That is called thermal delay. Thermal delay indicates the high quality of the insulation that the house has. I also noticed that the windows had thirty-six panes over one. This was used to save money since small panes weren’t as expensive as the larger ones. It was built in the same era as the Ann Washington Lesley house. Both of these Paducah residences are special because they featured indoor plumbing, rare at the time they were built. When it was originally built, it was out in the middle of nowhere, and it was totally surrounded on all sides by farmland.

The County Farm was open for about forty years. It closed in the late thirties or early forties. It closed because there wasn’t anyone who needed it. All of the people who would normally use it either had social security, or friends to take care of them. After the sanatorium closed, it was out of use until about 1970. In 1970 the McCracken County School Board began to use it as offices. The offices have now moved to a new location, and the buildings are vacant.

The county farm opened in the early 1900s and closed in the early 1940s. While it was open, it made a difference in many people’s lives. According to Mary Emma Warford, the people who ran it were dedicated, kind, and loving. Her father, Dr. Young, was a physician/administrator there during her childhood. She lived in the house for a time. She said that the residents were loved, cherished, and taken care of there. That is one of the reasons why I think it would make a great place for people who need love.

So, who houses people who need love? There is an organization call Abraham Hall. Its purpose is to house teens (ages 13-17) who are living on the street, who have run away, who are emergency cases (not enough foster homes to house them), or who are in other bad situations. The County Farm would be the perfect place for them to go.

Why would the Sanatorium be the perfect place to put Abraham Hall? The Sanatorium is surrounded by dorm rooms. There could be a girls’ dorm, a boy’s dorm, a dorm for brothers and sisters. The last dorm could be used for meals, and recreation. They could even attend Lone Oak Middle and High Schools. Both of these schools are less than five miles away. The people here would be loved, cherished, and cared for, just like the people were cared for long ago.

I had many people assist me in my research about the County Farm. I received historical information from Mr. Bill Black and Mrs. Mary Emma Warford. I learned about the architectural style of the time, and of the farm itself, from Kevin Linder, an area interior-exterior designer. I received information from Ms. Anita Williams about Abraham Hall. 

This essay and photograph(s) are the property of Preservation Kentucky, Inc. and Kentucky Heritage Council and that any use of the photo or essay must be approved by PK and KHC.