Maine Memory Network

Contributed by McArthur Public Library

Description

A view of the complex of buildings which made up the City Farm (also known as the Poor Farm) in Biddeford, ca. 1910. The farm housed the city's paupers, and there they lived and worked until they were able to move out on their own once again. The conditions in which the "inmates" lived was spare and often times dirty and cramped. These conditions were revealed in the local newspapers and the annual report of the Overseers of the Poor found in the City annual reports. The paupers grew vegetables and livestock, which were sold in town. The farm was finally closed in the 1950s, and the remaining residents were moved to other homes within the city.

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About This Item

• Title: City Farm (Poor Farm), Biddeford, ca. 1910
• Creation Date: circa 1910
• Subject Date: 1910
• Locations:
  • Poor Farm, Biddeford, York County, ME
  • City Farm, Biddeford, York County, ME
• Media: Postcard
• Dimensions: 9 cm x 14 cm
• Local Code: carr.0624
• Collection: Richard N. Carr Collection
• Object Type: Text and Image

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Cross Reference Searches

Standardized Subject Headings

• Farms--Maine--Biddeford
• Almshouses--Maine--Biddeford
• Old age homes--Maine--Biddeford
• Poor--Maine--Biddeford

Other Keywords

• City farm
• City homestead
• Poor farm
• social services
• South Street

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For more information about this item, contact:

McArthur Public Library
PO Box 346, Biddeford, ME 04005
(207) 284-4181
Website

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