I’d been to six or seven county homes by the time I ventured to Howard Haven just west of Kokomo. A couple of things struck me as I circled the property. For one, it’s still owned and operated by Howard County! Aside from that, it’s far more modern than the majority of the institutions I’d visited at that stage of my journey. Here’s some of its story.
The first Howard County poor farm was established in 1857. The second was established on West Jefferson Street Pike. That home’s contract was let in 1881. Indianapolis architect George Bunting -a designer of several courthouses- furnished the blueprints1.
Ultimately, David O. Freeman was responsible for constructing the brick-and-stone structure, which measured 136 feet long and 45 feet wide. Completed in 1882, the $15,000 building featured two stories and a basement. It sat on a 158-acre farm purchased in 18712.
When the original infirmary was built, Howard County was home to about 20,000 people. By 1929, the area had grown to nearly 50,000! Officials questioned whether the institution was still viable. At that point, it stood across a highway from the Forest Park neighborhood. Popular opinion supported the idea of selling the farm and buying cheaper land further out from Kokomo to build a larger infirmary3.
In 1931, the county home housed seventy-two residents, the largest number in its history4. “INFIRMARY CROWDED,” screamed the headlines5! Still, the county farm remained productive from the sale of products like vegetables and milk6.
Unfortunately, conditions deteriorated. A report by F.B. Farnam, Institutional inspector of the Indiana Department of Public Welfare, indicated that “the present lack of provision for systematic care of ailing inmates, the housing of all male inmates regardless of physical condition on the second floor level only, coupled with the necessity of their traveling two flights of unsafe and insecure stairs to reach said housing rooms, creates a serious condition and an additional hazard to life and limb7.”
It took a while for officials to act. In 1955, they sold the old county farm for $183,750. Unfortunately, the new county home, as planned by Fort Wayne architect A.M. Strauss, was expected to cost between $215,000 and $225,0008! County commissioners wondered whether they’d need to float bonds to make up the balance or if they could find financing elsewhere. Those in charge visited the county home in Jefferson County to compare and contrast their ideas with the new, smaller structure there9.
After Strauss submitted its initial plan, a second architectural firm drew a design for a two-story structure with an estimated cost of $180,000. Strauss came back with a revised concept that trimmed its original design by about 6,000 square feet- about a quarter of the prospective building’s size10. A third design by architect John Auferoth, Jr., combined the building’s chapel and dining hall into one area, moved the boiler from the basement to a separate building, and relocated the superintendent’s quarters from the second floor to the first11.
In 1956, the Kokomo Tribune wondered if Howard and Tipton Counties could jointly operate an infirmary. Only eight residents lived in Tipton’s sprawling home, since demolished, which left significant space for those harbored in Howard12. The idea was ultimately set aside, and the new Howard County Home was completed in 1957 after the previous building was demolished. Between buildings, residents were cared for in private dwellings.
It appears as though the institution received its present name, Howard Haven, in the late 1990s13. As I write this, Howard Haven remains one of the few homes maintained and operated by Indiana county commissioners along with those in Benton, Carroll, Clinton, and Hendricks Counties.
Sources Cited
1 Howard County Infirmary Has Been Standing Fifty Years (1931, April 11). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 2.
2 (See footnote 1).
3 The County Farm And Infirmary (1929, August 8). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 6.
4 Infirmary Crowded (1931, January 16). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 5.
5 (See footnote 4).
6 (See footnote 4).
7 New Building Recommended At Infirmary (1945, November 26). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 1.
8 Architects Get OK To Move on Drawings For New County Home. The Kokomo Tribune. p. 1.
9 County Home Problems (1955, August 26). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 6.
10 (See footnote 8).
11 Ft. Wayne Architect Offers $183,750 County Home Plan (1956, May 24). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 1.
12 Could Howard and Tipton Operate A County Home Jointly? (1956, June 26). The Kokomo Tribune. p. 6.
13 Fipps, L. (1997, November 8). Mental Health Association using gifts to give a lift. The Kokomo Tribune. p. 1.
I heard they are turning Jay Counties into an Airbnb. I wonder if that’s true.
I hadn’t heard that, but I have contacts in the area and will try to find out before I write about it. Last I heard, a veteran’s home group from Randolph County was interested, pending some questions about fire mitigation and the foundation.
I find this really interesting, that this building seems so small – especially for a newer and larger structure! I guess I assumed these places always had hundreds of residents. Wrong!
It did seem small. Wish I could make a sizing comparison between it and its predecessor, which I am led to believe was smaller.