The Sisters of Providence Take Over Seattle's County Farm
In an era of rapid expansion, King County commissioners shift the burden of social welfare for the impoverished and ill to the Sisters of the House of Providence for a fixed annual rent.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
King County, Washington Territory, Nov. 17, 1877. Commissioners M. R. Maddocks, Rufus Stearns, and Terence O'Brien met in the Auditor's office on November 5th. Among the business transacted, the Board rejected a lease bid by F. X. Prefontaine for the County Farm. Instead, the Board leased the property to the Sisters of the House of Providence for five years, commencing February 1, 1878. The annual rent was set at three hundred dollars, with the Sisters to receive 87.5 cents a day for the board and care of each pauper under their charge. The Board further moved to restrict costs by notifying E. M. Kauten that they would not reimburse for the care of any pauper not officially received at the County Poor House with proper documentation from the Overseer. Additionally, the Board clarified that the Sheriff, not the County, was now responsible for the jailer’s wages under new Territorial law, and called for bids for the burial of indigent persons not housed at the Poor House.
“The Board leased the County Farm to the Sisters of the House of Providence... for the term of five years... the Sisters to have 87 1/2 cents a day each for board and care of paupers.”
This 1877 arrangement highlights the early reliance on private religious institutions to provide the social safety net in Seattle, a practice that preceded modern government-funded social services. The tension between municipal budgetary constraints and the care of the 'deserving poor' remains a recurring feature in Seattle's housing and homelessness policy debates today.
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