The Multnomah County Poor Farm is a former

poor farm A poorhouse or workhouse is a government-run (usually by a county or municipality) facility to support and provide housing for the dependent or needy. Workhouses In England, Wales and Ireland (but not in Scotland), ‘workhouse’ has been the ...

located in Troutdale,

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

, United States. Established in 1911, the building and its surrounding grounds operated as a poor farm housing the ill and indigent populations in the

Portland metropolitan area The Portland metropolitan area is a metro area in the U.S. states of Oregon and Washington centered on the principal city of Portland, Oregon. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) identifies it as the Portland–Vancouver–Hillsboro, ...

at the beginning of the twentieth century, after the closure of a poor farm in the city's West Hills. Over the course of the century, the farm would come to be used as a nursing home before becoming abandoned in the 1980s. Since 1990, the site is operated as an entertainment and lodging complex under the name McMenamins Edgefield, one of several historic properties owned, restored, and operated by the

McMenamins McMenamins is a family-owned chain of brewpubs, breweries, music venues, historic hotels, and theater pubs in Oregon and Washington. Many of their locations are in rehabilitated historical properties; at least nine are on the National Register ...

enterprise. The property is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

History

Establishment

In 1854 the territorial legislature gave the counties the responsibility of caring for the poor. 1868 saw the first pauper's farm open in the west hills of

Portland Portland most commonly refers to: * Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States * Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...

. This facility, called Hillside Farm, occupied near

Canyon Road Canyon Road (formerly known as Great Plank Road) is a major road and partial state highway, which serves as a connector between Beaverton and Portland, Oregon, United States. It was the first major road constructed between the Tualatin Valle ...

in Portland's West Hills; the site is now part of Washington Park. Hillside Farm was closed down due to the "deplorable" condition of the building, and the Multnomah County Poor Farm was built to replace it on a budget of

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; code: USD; also abbreviated US$ or U.S. Dollar, to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies; referred to as the dollar, U.S. dollar, American dollar, or colloquially buck) is the official ...

$100,000 (). The main building was constructed by a plastering crew as well as Swedish immigrants who worked as carpenters or bricklayers. In November 1911, 211 residents moved to the new farm in Troutdale. This new facility was the largest county-funded relief institution in Oregon. By 1914, the farm housed a total of 302 residents who helped manage various farm animals and crops.

Expansion

In 1934 an infirmary wing was built to care for the aging population of the farm. In 1935, its population peaked at 614. The farm would eventually encompass . During 1939, a doctor's duplex was built by the

Works Progress Administration The Works Progress Administration (WPA; renamed in 1939 as the Work Projects Administration) was an American New Deal agency that employed millions of jobseekers (mostly men who were not formally educated) to carry out public works projects, i ...

(WPA). The WPA also added an incinerator, sprinkler system, and sun porch in 1940. In 1947, the name of the institution was changed to the Multnomah County Home and Farm. In the late 1950s, the farming operation ceased and the name was changed to the Edgefield Manor. In 1964, the property was converted for multi-use, with the main lodge being used as a nursing home, and an external building as the Edgefield Lodge for Emotionally Disturbed Children. The main building became a nursing home, which was named Edgefield Manor. Farm operations also were discontinued during this time. The entire complex was declared as the Edgefield Center by county commissioners in 1964.

Dissolution and restoration

In 1972, the county proposed closing the entire Edgefield facilities down, and an estimate for necessary renovations made three years later was valued at $400,000. In 1982, the remaining three patients at the facility were relocated before its official closure. During 1985, county committees decided to remove all buildings from the area except for the jail. The reason was to market the land to potential buyers. In 1986, the Troutdale Historical Society challenged the decision to destroy all of the buildings on the property. They claimed that the buildings had historical importance and needed to be preserved. In 1990, Edgefield was named to the

. That same year, the facility was purchased by

. It features restaurants, pubs, gardens, movie theaters, a golf course, wedding locales, and an outdoor concert venue that hosts international musical acts.

Notes and references

Notes

References

External links

McMenamins Edgefield
* {{National Register of Historic Places Oregon 1911 establishments in Oregon Buildings and structures in Multnomah County, Oregon Buildings and structures completed in 1911 Colonial Revival architecture in Oregon History of Portland, Oregon Hotels in Oregon McMenamins National Register of Historic Places in Multnomah County, Oregon Poor farms Troutdale, Oregon Works Progress Administration in Oregon Farms on the National Register of Historic Places in Oregon Music venues in Oregon