The OES visited the Fairfield County Poorhouse on April 6, 2014. Also known as the Fairfield County Infirmary and later the Clarence E. Miller Building, this large brick structure served the residents of Fairfield County in some capacity for over 170 years. Prior to 1828, township officers called “overseers of the poor” took responsibility for the homeless and poor in their respective townships. Contracts were made with the lowest bidder for each pauper to receive food, clothing, and medical care. It soon became necessary that a proper facility was needed for the care of these individuals, and the county constructed a wooden building in 1828 north of Lancaster. This building soon filled to capacity, and a large brick building replaced it in 1840. The building was expanded on again in 1865, and numerous outbuildings were constructed to serve various purposes, including a laundry, tenant house, storage, and farming facilities. A farm was established across the road from the infirmary to help sustain those living there. In 1917, the infirmary farm brought in a total of $4,300 from the sale of crops and livestock. Natural gas lines were run to the infirmary in 1917 to provide lighting and heat. In 1926, 3,857 feet of pipe were laid to provide water to the infirmary, which previously relied on a natural spring and groundwater. The infirmary didn’t see electricity until 1958.
The population of the county poorhouse continued to climb until it reached its record population of 82 “inmates” in 1903. The unfortunates were admitted for a multitude of reasons, including both physical and mental health conditions and drunkenness. Some spent the majority of their lives in the poorhouse. As would be expected, death was a normal part of life. While many died due to medical conditions or old age, there were a few tragic deaths that we found through our research. One such instance occurred on March 22, 1929, when 73-year-old Jane Householder was burned alive after she opened a gas stove and caught her clothing on fire. Two attendants heard Miss Householder’s screams and smothered the flames with two rugs. A doctor was summoned to the infirmary to care for the victim, but she succumbed to death nine hours later. Those who died and were not claimed by family were buried in the pauper’s cemetery behind the infirmary, along with unknown travelers and those who couldn’t afford a plot in a cemetery elsewhere. The majority of burials are unmarked; only a few have tombstones standing today.
A variety of events made life at the poorhouse tolerable. County officials visited periodically to partake in dinner with the inmates. Lancaster residents donated Christmas gifts to some of the “pathetic figures who have no longer any connection with the outside world,” as quoted from a Lancaster Eagle-Gazette article in 1927. Ice cream socials were held, and local bands and orchestras played music for the old folks. It wasn’t always a good time, though. In 1924, a crazed inmate attacked the infirmary superintendent while working in the fields across from the infirmary. The man suddenly rushed the superintendent, striking him in the head with the bar he had been using to stack hay. A fellow inmate came to the superintendent’s aid, and soon, fellow employees captured the attacker. We have been told there were several suicides at the poorhouse, although we could not find any documentation to support the claims.
The farmland across from the infirmary was sold to Ohio University in the mid-1960s to establish a remote campus there. The infirmary’s population continued to dwindle until just sixteen residents remained when the facility closed for good in May 1985. Those remaining residents were sent to nursing or foster homes. The old infirmary was remodeled in 1986, adding a sprinkler system, enclosed stairwells, emergency lighting, and a fire alarm, to accommodate county offices. The building was rechristened the Clarence E. Miller Building, named for the late former congressman, and served as the county’s health department for the next 27 years. By 2011, the building was literally falling apart. Mold, crumbling walls, loose bricks, and other concerns were commonplace. A study showed the facility would require over $4 million in renovations to resurrect the building. The health department decided to move to a leased modern office facility in late 2013, and the old poorhouse has been vacant since.
Of course, given the history of the location, the old poorhouse is said to be haunted. Many employees who worked in the building at night have heard people talking when no one else was in the building. A ghost named “Willy” haunts the second and third floors. His name likely comes from one of the only tombstones in the pauper’s cemetery that has a name listed. A ghostly woman wearing 1800s-style clothing with her hair in a bun has been spotted by several witnesses. One woman who was working late one night looked up to see a little girl standing in the doorway. When the woman asked the little girl if she needed help, the girl vanished. Many county employees were afraid to go into the attic due to a cold and strange feeling about the place. The second-floor women’s restroom was also avoided due to the same feeling.
During our visit, the old infirmary was still in decent condition. There was some water damage due to busted pipes from the winter freeze. The roof was in need of repairs, and mold infested several corners of the building, but the overall structure seemed sound. After our initial tour of the building, we conducted a mini-paranormal investigation. Two OES members smelled lavender perfume on two separate occasions. They did not notice any obvious air fresheners in the vicinity. While investigating the attic by himself, OES Coordinator Philip Niklas witnessed several signs that were in storage move on their own. We tried to debunk the movement by stepping on loose floorboards, but the signs did not move. There were a couple of small spikes on the EM meter, but nothing too concerning. Temperature readings were steady for the most part, but there were some sudden drops in temperature by a few degrees. Equipment being used by Niklas turned off on its own a few times, but that could have been due to user error, not the paranormal. Upon review, we did capture some electronic voice phenomena. Those recordings are on the second page, along with video footage from our exploration and entire investigation.
The ultimate fate of the Clarence E. Miller Building is currently unknown. Ohio University Lancaster officials stated they weren’t interested in acquiring the property, and the historical parks department said they couldn’t afford to maintain the building if they took it over. Other suggestions range from an office building to apartments to demolition. There have been several bids on the property, but all have been rejected by county commissioners as of spring 2016. Hopefully, a keen investor will step forward and renovate the historic structure.
Thank you to the Fairfield County Commissioners for granting us permission to photograph the building.
Location Information: Abandoned
The Fairfield County Poorhouse (Clarence E. Miller Building) is on State Route 27, across from the Ohio University Lancaster campus; Fairfield County.
Photographs: Exterior, First & Second Floors
The old Fairfield County Poorhouse, later known as the Clarence E. Miller Building.
The main entrance of the facility when it served as the county infirmary.
The sign for the Clarence E. Miller Health and Human Resources Center above the former main entrance.
The front porch was pretty large to accommodate the infirmary residents.
Where the north and east wings meet.
A stone retaining wall was necessary to make room for the north wing.
The north and western face of the poorhouse. The smaller building to the right was built later.
This served as the main entrance during the department of health years.
A cupola was at the center of the poorhouse roofline. It was likely used to monitor the farmland across the street.
A small driveway between the main building and a few of the outbuildings.
The back side of the old infirmary building, on the western side.
An open space between additions to allow light in through the windows.
The wooden cornice along the top of the wall.
A look at the southern face of the building from the adjacent parking lot.
If you look closely, you can see the windows and roofline do not meet up between the two additions.
An old exterior door.
Just behind the old door was a maintenance work area.
There were several work benches along with spare equipment.
A pile of old bricks in the back of the room. They were stamped "CALVERT."
The old stone foundation of the building out back.
One of the old buildings behind the main infirmary building.
Perhaps one of these outbuildings was the laundry facility.
The former tenant's house now serves as the clubhouse for the K8QIK amateur radio club.
A barn and perhaps a hen house across the parking lot from the former tenant's house.
This building was made of large, solid sandstone blocks.
An old railroad crossing sign sat outside of a building now used for the Hocking Valley Model Railroaders club.
A natural spring emptied into this cistern behind the infirmary building.
The view looking up between the walkways that connect two buildings.
A few cardboard boxes was all that remained in this room.
The exterior entrance of the first floor/basement area on the south side of the building.
A shelf built-in to the wall in the dark hallway.
A few desks and cabinets remained in this room. It had an exterior door that opened to the front side of the building.
The rear wall of the room had wood panelling and a magazine rack.
The building's original ceilings were mostly intact, but covered in several layers of paint.
Some areas had drop-ceilings like this room. It also featured faux brick panelling.
A washing machine sat in an old utility room. Notice the built-in corner cabinet.
A large boiler and hot water heater.
A brick archway in one of the utility areas.
One of the more modern boilers in the utility room.
Some of the old vent shafts have been covered over. Notice the old coal chute near the bottom.
A small window displays a section of the original sandstone foundation.
This room was last used as a break room for the health department.
Dark wood panelling lined the walls of this room.
An old mantle where a heating stove was once located.
This sink was in the corner of the room. Notice the old iron legs that supported it.
The entryway of this room featured a double set of doors.
Looking into the old cold storage area where food was kept.
The badge on the door stated it came from the Jamison Cold Storage Door Company, based in Hagerstown, MD. The last patent date on the badge was 1941.
Inside the cold storage area. The room was very small, but well insulated.
This trough was used for processing meats from the farm. Some have speculated it could have been used for more sinister purposes.
Another cold storage area, right next to the area previously pictured.
The door to the second cold storage room.
The badge on the second cold storage door reveals it was also made by the Jamison company.
This room is where the facility's water supply entered the building. The red pipe was for the sprinkler system.
Sump pumps helped keep this area from flooding due to the natural spring just outside the walls.
Emergency fire hoses were connected to standpipes in the center hallway of each floor.
Office chairs and shelving were stored in this small room adjacent to the cold storage areas.
Looking down the main hallway of the first floor to the north.
Looking south down the main hallway. Notice the receptionist's desk.
This cabinet also featured a combination lock for more secure storage.
The doorknob seemed to be original hardware for this door, but the deadbolt was likely added later.
A window in the darkness.
The door to the dumbwaiter, used to carry food or other objects between floors.
If you look closely out of the window, you'll see a wall holding back the hillside. It has been reinforced to prevent collapse.
Looking out of the fire exit door at the north end of the building.
The central stairway going up to the second floor.
Now on the second floor, looking north down the main hallway.
Looking down the south hallway of the second floor. Notice the ramp that connects as the two sections of building are not even.
A nice cabinet in the central main hallway.
The elevator was located in the central hallway of every floor. We aren't sure when the elevator was added.
Entering the restroom area of the second floor.
A row of four sinks lined one wall.
A couple of toilet stalls.
A clawfoot tub was located at the rear of the restroom.
Two sinks were in the men's restroom.
Urinals in the men's room had autoflush added. Notice the warped floor at the base of the urinals.
The door that led to nowhere in the walkway connecting two of the buildings.
This was a fairly nice room. Perhaps it was one of the common areas where inmates could mingle.
The chandelier hanging from the ceiling. Lighting had been converted from gas to electric in 1958.
A closer look at the fireplace of the room.
A large reception desk was in an adjacent room.
Cardboard was placed here to keep out cold air.
An old radiator that provided heat to the building until the day it closed.
A desk remained in this room, along with posters about nutrition and breastfeeding.
A Detecto-branded scale was left behind. JUNK was written on it with marker.
An old tube-TV was among the junk left behind in this room.
The interior of a small closet looked like it had not been touched for years.
A small filing cabinet for records.
There was a small secondary stairwell led from the second floor to the third floor in the south hallway.
A reception window between two rooms on the second floor.
A doorway connected a third room.
Another secondary stairwell that connected the second floor to the first floor.
Looking down the north hallway of the second floor.
A large, open doorway connected two rooms.
Old office partitions were left behind.
Entering a room in the back, central part of the second floor.
A really creepy doll sat on a changing table.
Latex gloves were on the floor in front of this chair.
This was the Immunization Scheduling room, according to the sign above the door.
A few chairs and tables remained inside the immunization scheduling room.
An exam light along with filing cabinets and chairs were among items left in an adjoining room. Notice the biohazard sticker on the cabinet to the left.
There was a built-in shelf to the right of this room.
The dumbwaiter door at the north end of the second floor hallway.
Some of the paint had peeled away from this ceiling tile, exposing the tile's original state.
