Corn Crib & Tool Shed, 1872

Corn Crib and Tool Shed, 1872. . In October 1867, the Wood County Commissioners purchased 160 acres from Abel T. Norris at a cost of $7,200 to use as the infirmary site. On August 2, 1869, ditches were dug around the perimeter of the property to ensure proper drainage of the farmland. , The corn crib and tool shed were two of the earliest buildings constructed besides the main infirmary. The corn crib was a ventilated building for storing ears of corn. , On September 6, 1872, the Wood County Commissioners approved the construction of a corn crib and tool shed. By June 24, 1875, the infirmary's 90 tillable acres of farm land provided 22 acres of wheat, 16 acres of corn, 4 acres of potatoes, 20 acres of hay, and a half acre of tobacco. , The infirmary farm was also home to livestock including milk cows, workhorses, young weaned pigs, hogs, and English Bramah chickens and turkeys. , A large brick smokehouse, no longer on the site, was filled with over 2,000 pounds of meat. Recorded as late as the 1940s, a 5 acre garden supplied all sorts of root vegetables, lettuce, cabbage, and celery for the infirmary staff and inmates. , Fun Fact , In 1920, the Wood County Commissioners purchased another 40 acres of land rounding out the infirmary farm to 200 acres.