The Montgomery County Poor Farm and Almshouse: Its History and People

The Gaithersburg Community Museum partners at Dogfish Head Alehouse for this speaker series that explores history, science, and culture. No purchase necessary. Join us for your monthly brew of knowledge.

Museum on Tap: The Montgomery County Poor Farm and Almshouse: Its History and People

Speaker: Julianne Mangin

For nearly 160 years, the Almshouse at the Montgomery County Poor Farm was the last resort for poor people who were unable to take care of themselves due to physical, mental, and developmental disabilities. A look at some of their stories, including how they lived and died, sheds a light on conditions there. Despite the oversight of county officials and the efforts of reformers, the Almshouse was a place where the poor were neglected, abused, and exposed to unsafe conditions until it closed in 1948.