Poor Farm Cemetery
In 1851, an Arkansas law for “indoor relief” for the poor was enacted. This was the basis for the Poor Farm in Independence County. With access to 120 acres of land purchased by Independence County along with an 18’ x 20’ log cabin constructed for $143.75, the idea became a reality and many of society’s “castaways” – the poor, orphaned, sickly, or otherwise incapacitated individuals living in Independence County moved mostly from the streets into a solid structure they could call home.
Occasionally one of these residents would pass due to poor health, and they were subsequently buried on the grounds. This is where Linda Hidy enters the picture.
Linda and her mother frequently drove along the Moorefield Cutoff, and Linda’s mother would vaguely point to an area and remark how her mother and brother were buried there. Thus began a lengthy journey when Linda and her daughter researched any available information to pinpoint the geographical area of the Poor Farm Cemetery. Records from 1855 indicate “…part of the Southwest Quarter and part of the Southeast Quarter, Section Seven, Township Thirteen North, Range Five West, lying south of Crooked Creek…” as the location of the poor farm and cemetery.
Dr. Julie Morrow, Station Director for the Arkansas Archeological Survey, obtained a record of the Poor Farm cemetery with information on three graves and their inhabitants. It was noted that several additional graves might also be present as evidenced by areas of ground indentation. Using ground penetrating radar (GPR), Dr. Morrow and her team located a total of five graves.
Although archeologists are notorious for digging, this method is not always necessary to find the truth about a site. In this instance and many others, GPR locates areas deep within the earth without disturbing sites that need not be dug.
Because of Linda’s dogged research, we are five souls richer. It took five years for Linda and her daughter the ability to physically map the location of the cemetery’s grounds, and we are the richer for it.
Read this exciting story and more in the January 2023 edition of The Independence County Chronicle, for sale at the museum’s gift shop.
