Van Zandt County Poor Farm
Canton, Van Zandt County, Texas
Marker Inscription
IN THE EARLY DAYS OF VAN ZANDT COUNTY, FAMILIES, CHURCHES AND CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS TOOK CARE OF PEOPLE IN NEED. AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, THE HIGH NUMBER OF INDIGENTS FORCED AN ADDENDUM TO THE STATE CONSTITUTION MAKING CARE FOR THE POOR THE RESPONSIBILITY OF EACH COUNTY. IN 1877, THE VAN ZANDT COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT AUTHORIZED A SEARCH FOR AN APPROPRIATE SITE FOR A COUNTY POOR FARM. AFTER SEVEN YEARS, IN AUGUST 1884, COUNTY JUDGE JOHN S. SPINKS APPOINTED SEVERAL MEN TO FIND AND PURCHASE LAND NEAR CANTON TO ESTABLISH A POOR FARM. THE SITE CHOSEN CONTAINED 339 ACRES ABOUT FOUR MILES SOUTH OF CANTON. M.V. BURNS WAS THE FIRST APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENT PAID BY THE COUNTY TO OVERSEE THE FARM, CLEAN UP THE LAND AND COMPLETE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SITE. MR. BURNS RESIGNED IN 1885 AND HUGH GUINN TOOK OVER TO COMPLETE HIS TERM. THE FIRST KNOWN RESIDENTS OF THE POOR FARM WERE TWO LADIES DECLARED PAUPERS IN MARCH 1886 BY THE COMMISSIONERS COURT. OTHER RESIDENTS INCLUDED THE ELDERLY, WIDOWS WITH CHILDREN WHO HAD NO MEANS OF SUPPORT AND THOSE CONVICTED OF PETTY CRIMES WHO WOULD WORK AT THE FARM TO PAY OFF THEIR FINES. IN 1901, COUNTY JUDGE JOHN W. DAVIDSON AUTHORIZED THE SALE OF THE POOR FARM AND BOUGHT A LARGER SITE IN THE SAME AREA. A 14 BY 16 FEET CALABOOSE WAS BUILT ON THE NEW SITE IN 1901 FOR THE SAFEKEEPING OF CONVICTS AT NIGHT. THE STRUCTURE IS STILL STANDING. AFTER THE POOR FARM WAS ESTABLISHED, PAUPERS WERE BURIED IN THE POOR FARM CEMETERY. THE FARM WAS OPERATIONAL UNTIL OCTOBER 1928. THE VAN ZANDT COUNTY POOR FARM PROVIDED POVERTY-STRICKEN CITIZENS WITH SHELTER, FOOD AND A READY MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE FOR 42 YEARS.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
After the Civil War, a Texas constitutional provision made each county responsible for caring for its poor, and in 1884 Van Zandt County established a farm south of Canton for that purpose. Its residents included the elderly, widows with children, and those working off petty fines, who helped sustain the operation through farm labor. The farm ran for 42 years until 1928, with a small 1901 calaboose still standing on the site.
Why it matters
The county poor farm was a common but now largely vanished institution, marking an era when rural counties, not the federal government, bore the burden of caring for the destitute.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · John S. Spinks
- · M.V. Burns
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Dipping Vat
Canton, TX
For decades the American cattle industry bled tens of millions of dollars a year to Texas tick fever, until a dip and a vaccine developed in the 1890s offered a defense. Beginning in 1918, East Texas mounted a tick-eradication campaign, herding cattle through chemical dipping vats every two weeks in a ritual known as 'dipping days.' The compulsory program was so unpopular that some citizens dynamited vats or met inspectors with gunfire; this surviving vat, one of about fifty in Van Zandt County, stood on rancher G. M. Hilliard's land.
Hilliards of Canton
Canton, TX
George McIntosh Hilliard opened a general merchandise store in Canton in 1896, and with his sons expanded it into a downtown fixture selling everything from farm equipment to furniture. A 1919 brick building even housed an undertaking business alongside hardware and dry goods, reflecting how a rural store met every need of its community. The Hilliard stores stayed open through mid-century population declines, serving Canton for over a hundred years.
The Canton Herald
Canton, TX
The Canton Herald has published continuously since 1882, making it one of East Texas's enduring community newspapers. In 1915 Ellis Campbell, already publisher of the Wills Point Chronicle, bought the Herald, and with his wife Mary Jane built a family publishing business that spanned several generations. From offices in Canton and presses in Wills Point, the paper chronicled local life for more than a century.
George Washington Tull, Sr.
Canton, TX
George Washington Tull arrived in Canton in 1858 after a stint chasing gold in California, and built a mercantile business that anchored the courthouse square for more than half a century. He served as a Confederate private during the Civil War, then returned to grow one of the town's most enduring stores, even constructing the county courthouse in 1872 under contract. Known as the wealthiest man in town yet remembered as the poor man's friend, he helped shape Canton's commercial district.