Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/404

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

��$16,500 ; architect, $5,000 ; gas fixtures, $1,200 ; carpet, $1,000; furniture, $7,000; paving, $2,500; clock, $2,700 ; iron fence, $1,500 ; bell, $1,300; improvement of lot, $1,000; total, $226,700.

The jails of Richland County have been three in number. The first two have been referred to in the preceding pages on the court houses — the first one having been in the old hewed block-house, which was used parth' for that pur- pose from 1813 to 1816, when the log court house was erected, the lower part of which was built and used for a jail. This was the coimty jail until 1827, when it was taken awa}- for the purpose of erecting the first brick court house on its site ; and about this time, the present jail was erected, on the corner of Third and Sugar streets, which has now seen more than a half-century of service. It was a good, substantial brick building, and has been several times repaired and added to. Since the build- ing of the new court house, the subject of erecting a new jail has been continually agi- tated — the old one Ijeing too far away from the court house and not up to the requirements of the time. The Commissioners have purchased ground for the new jail, adjoining the court- house lot on the south. During the fall of 1879, the buildings on this ground were re- moved, the gi'ound graded down, and, during

��the year 1880, it is proposed to erect a jail with all modern improvements.

The infirmary of Richland County was erected, in 1845-46, on the northwest quarter of Section 25, in Weller Township. Before the erection of this building, the paupers and insane of the county had been " farmed out " — that is, the Commissioners had found homes for them wherever they could among the farm- ers and people of the county, paying a stipu- lated sum each 3'ear for their maintenance. The Commissioners, at the time of the erection of the infirmary', were William Taggart, Will- iam B. Hammett and John McCool. They purchased a quarter-section of land from Na- thaniel Osborn, for which they paid $3,000. The building was a substantial brick structure, and was finished in the fall of 1846, the Com- missioners appointing Samuel Linn, of Frank- lin ; John Meredith, of Madison, and Richard Condon, of Mifflin, first Directors, who were to hold their offices until others could be elected. Lowerj' Sibbett, of Mansfield, was the first Su- perintendent. In June, 1878, this infirmary building was destroyed by fire, and, at the October election of the same year, the people voted to build a new one, which has been in course of erection during the last year, and is now completed.

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