The Poorhouses of Massachusetts: A Cultural and Architectural History

ISBN-13: 9780786466443 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 247 str.

Heli Meltsner

Opis

Ever since the English first settled in America, extreme poverty and the inability of individuals to support themselves and their families have been persistent problems. In the early nineteenth century, many communities established almshouses, or "poorhouses," in a valiant but ultimately failed attempt to create a critical social safety net to shelter the destitute, including the sick, elderly, unemployed, mentally ill, unwed mothers, and the orphaned. This volume details the rise and decline of poorhouses in Massachusetts, painting a vivid portrait of life inside these institutions and revealing a history of constant political and social turmoil over issues that still dominate the conversation about welfare recipients today. The first study to address the role of architecture in shaping as well as reflecting the treatment of paupers, this work also provides photographs and histories of dozens of former poorhouses across the state, many of which still stand.