The Almshouse

The Almshouse. An Abode of Mysery. , From 1823 until 1965, the tavern William Brown constructed in the 1760s served as Anne Arundel County's almshouse, providing shelter to people who were poor, mentally ill, or disabled. The conditions that these residents endured were terrible. Sanitation was lacking and supplies were limited. The awful conditions of the Almshouse were repeatedly brought up in government reports, calling the institution "a disgrace.", In the 1840s, the Almshouse was segregated, and Black inhabitants were forced to live in an outbuilding that was little more than a shack. Bearing an alarming resemblance to slavery, white almshouse residents often served as overseers, watching the work and behavior of their Black peers and Black women were forced to do household chores for white staff with no pay., Over time, the almshouse grew to contain multiple dormitories, barns, privies, a corncrib, icehouse, seed house, bath house, and vegetable gardens. Almshouse inhabitants were expected to work in these gardens and catch fish, crabs, and oysters from the South River to supplement their diet. In the twentieth century, the almshouse primarily housed the impoverished elderly population of Anne Arundel County. There were fourteen elderly people still living in the house when it closed in 1965 following the Social Security Act, which created homeless shelters as we now know them., [Caption:] , Residents of the Almshouse, c. 1934