VANCOUVER, Wash. — The 99-acre site of the former Clark County Poor Farm has been added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The Columbian reported that the property in Hazel Dell was recently also added to the Washington state Heritage Register.
The county poor farm operated from as early as 1873 until 1943.
State historic preservation officer Allyson Brooks said counties operated poor farms throughout the United States until the system was reorganized in the 1930s, and then largely discontinued after the passage and implementation of Social Security legislation.
State architectural historian Michael Houser has said the Clark County farm is the best example of the poor-farm system in Washington state.
A two-story landmark building on the site is currently home to the offices of Washington State University Clark County Extension.
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