
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Johnson County officials announced that the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm has been designated an official Heritage Area Site in partnership with the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area.
The announcement on Jan. 14, 2025, notes that the farm will have access to funding for educational and interpretive site improvements and other benefits through the designation.
Established in 1855, the farm was established to create a centralized agricultural community to care for the poor, physically disabled or those considered chronically mentally ill.
Related: Poor Farm returns to its roots

An undated photo shows the Johnson County Poor Farm in its early years. (Photo/courtesy Johnson County Board of Supervisors)
Read more from the Johnson County Local Food Staff :
Johnson County, Iowa – The Johnson County Historic Poor Farm has been designated as an official Heritage Area Site in partnership with the Silos and Smokestacks National Heritage Area (SSNHA).
SSNHA spans 37 counties in northeast Iowa. It is one of 62 federally designated heritage areas in the country and the only one that interprets the theme of agriculture.
As part of the designation, the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm, located at 4811 Melrose Avenue, Iowa City, will access various benefits from SSNHA, including marketing programs, funding for educational and interpretive site improvements, and networking opportunities.
More information about SSNHA is available at https://www.silosandsmokestacks.org/.
The Johnson County Historic Poor Farm is one of the few remaining relatively intact examples of the county farm model established in the 19th century. In 2017, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors adopted a master plan to provide a 10-year vision for the Poor Farm to preserve the farm’s history, educate the public, offer recreation areas, and increase local food production through land access and beginning farmer training.
More information about the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm is available at www.jchistoricpoorfarm.com.

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