SMITH COUNTY, TENNESSEE POOR HOUSE

      Before the days of State and Federal Aid, provision was made by the County Court for the aged, the orphans, the insane, and the paupers of the county.  The J.P.s were responsible for seeing to the needs of those requiring assistance in their respective districts and would make recommendations to the court.  In 1829 David Hogg, Zachery Ford, Exum Whitley, John Chambers, Littleberry Hughes, William Walker, Solomon Debow, Richard Alexander, and Adam Dale were appointed by the court to inquire into the feasibility of building a poor house.  The probable cost of the building and land was to be reported to the next term of court.  Consequently, seventy-five acres of land was purchased in the Key Hollow near Monoville from a Mr. Carpenter.  To this day there is a branch there bearing the name "Poor House Branch."  A court-appointed committee supervised the administration of the poor house or poor asylum, as it was often called, with one of the members being elected to act as treasurer.  The committee was also responsible for hiring a superintendent to manage the house and farm.  In 1866 S.M. Phelps was employed as overseer and the following year as superintendent.  He held the position for many years.

      A burying ground for the inmates was located near the farm at Monoville on a hill behind the old schoolhouse.  Gruesome tales are told of "grave snatchers" who would dig up the corpses and bring them to Carthage where they were sold to some doctor who wished to further his medical education.  In one such instance, one of these unscrupulous robbers was enroute to Carthage with the corpse tied behind him on his horse.  Upon hearing another rider coming, he rolled the body into the ditch and continued on his way.  When the road was clear, he went back and retrieved his burden.

      The poor farm remained in the Key Hollow until about 1871 when a farm containing two hundred eleven acres was purchased in Horseshoe Bend for $1200, and frame buildings were erected.  It was decided that the area was unhealthy as well as inconvenient so the land was sold and another farm purchased two and one half miles west of Carthage on what came to be known as the "County House Road."  A commodious brick building, heated with two hot air furnaces, was constructed in 1885.  This large farm was cultivated for the use of the poor house until January 8, 1952, when the need for such an institution ceased to exist because Old Age Assistance and other Federal and State programs were introduced.  Saunders F. Hailey and his wife, Nannie, were the last custodians of the county poor house.  The old brick house burned a few years ago.

By Sue W. Maggart

Source: Sue W. Maggart and Nina R. Sutton, editors, The History of Smith County Tennessee (Dallas, Texas: Curtis Media Corporation, 1987), 13.

Copied by Joy King <joyk@sc.rr.com> August 23, 2001.

Used with permission from Sue Petty  <swpetty@mwsi.net>