Union County Chapter
of the Ohio Genealogical Society
Union County Home
The Ohio General Assembly authorized counties to construct poorhouses in 1816. Union County erected its first poorhouse in 1850. The Union County Poorhouse opened in 1851 with the admittance of three inmates. Poorhouse records from 1851 to 1867 have been lost. It is presumed that this original facility was demolished in 1937 by the WPA.
In 1871, Union County authorized the construction of a new infirmary. The Union County Infirmary was completed in 1872. Once the new facility was completed, the old building was used as a barn. The facility operated as a County Infirmary until 1919. In 1919, the name of the facility was changed to the Union County Home. Under this new name, the facility was to care for the county's poor and aged populations.
A new county home was erected between the years of 1960 and 1961. The second facility was demolished in February of 1963. The name of the facility was changed from Union County Home to Union Manor in 1976. Control of Union Manor was given to Memorial Hospital in 1995. At this time talks began over whether the home should be remodeled or a new facility built. Union Manor was closed in 2001 when Memorial opened the Gables in Green Pastures. The old Union Manor facility was then remodeled to serve as an agriculture service center.
A more in depth history of the Union County Poorhouse/Infirmary/Home can be found on the website of the Union County Archive. Please see below.
Union County, Ohio Records Center and Archives - Stephen W. Badenhop, Coordinator