In 1825, The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania enacted a measure to require an Almshouse in every county.
The Berks County Almshouse, which grew to become a cluster of farms and institutional buildings, opened near Shillington in 1826.
I have shared postcard photographs of the Almshouses in Lancaster and York counties, and now have found a view of the establishment in Berks County.
“Almshouses” represent a tradition of communal charity that originated in parts of Europe during the Middle Ages.
In Berks County, the “feeble-minded”, alcoholic, disabled, or “insane” could receive sustenance at the Almshouse.
The farms provided food for the institution and provided occupational activity for residents.
(In a past post about the birthplace of Joseph Heister, a reader noted that that structure was on the site of the county farm. Is this the place?)
As State Hospitals were developed, the “insane” were gradually removed from the Almshouse.
The main building of the institution was razed in 1957.
This postcard was mailed from Shillington, by Papa, on March 19, 1918.
The message is addressed to the son who was a soldier at Camp Meade in Maryland.
(World War I did not end until November of 1918.)
The red two-penny stamp reflects the postage increase that was enacted as a war tax.
On-line, one can find several interesting stories about this place, including the existence of a school of painting that flourished among three men committed to the Almshouse.
