Potters Field

Potters Field. 1850-1960s. When Maryland's legislature approved the formation of Carroll County in 1837, it required the residents to build a courthouse, jail, register's office, clerk's office and a poorhouse., In 1852, the County Commissioners purchased 307 acres on the outskirts of Westminster at a cost of $17,826 and constructed a poorhouse, also called the "Almshouse", and the first residents moved in on May 23, 1853., The Almshouse was essential to the survival of those poor and down on their luck. It housed county residents, hobos and tramps who could count on getting a meal and temporary lodging. Occasionally, criminals and the insane were also in residence. Those able to do farm work helped raise food for themselves., A salaried steward, who oversaw the operation and his family, lived on the second floor of the Almshouse, women residents lived on the third floor and there was a men's dormitory as well., This area called Potters Field, a common name of a public burial ground for poor or unidentified people, served as the cemetery for the Almshouse, which served the indigent until June 30, 1965 when it closed it's doors forever. The official opening of the Carroll County Farm Museum took place on August 13, 1966.