Flashback: Snohomish County Poor Farm Building

At the time of this photo, 1909, the County Poor Farm had two buildings. This one housed the women, the superintendent’s family and the sick rooms. The men lived in another building behind this one.

The Poor Farm was established in Monroe in 1893 at what is now the southeast corner of U.S. 2 and 197^th Avenue S.E. In 1912, the county bought an additional 70 acres on the north side in a plan to make the institution self-sustaining through agricultural production.

This land is now the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, while the Poor Farm site became the home of Valley General Hospital.

Monroe Historical Society Photo 580. If you know more about this picture, please contact the Monroe Historical Society at (360) 217-7223.