When Carroll County, Maryland was created by the Maryland General Assembly in 1837, one requirements was the construction of an almshouse to care for the poor, elderly, and sick who could not care for themselves or did not have family that could help them. The almshouse, in operation from 1853 until 1965 and housing up to 50 people at a time, was much more than just a place to live. Crops and animals were raised on 340 acres of land and everyone strong enough worked to support the operation. The property included a summer kitchen, wash room, baking room, barns and other outbuildings.
After the almshouse closed a group of residents and county officials decided to use the buildings and property to create a museum complex depicting the life of a farm family in the 1880s. The amount of donated items is quite impressive – everything from the smallest household utensils to large farm equipment. Many items were new to us like a machine that separates clover seed from weed seed and another that makes oil from wormseed.
The bottom floor of the almshouse, furnished as if a farm family lived there, is opened on the hour for guided tours. Other buildings are self guided. The rooms on the second floor of the summer kitchen building have spinning, weaving, tinsmithing, chair caning, and broom making exhibits. There’s also a room about the almshouse period but we were disappointed at the limited information that was provided. Farm equipment and other artifacts are displayed in the barns. Heritage breed animals are kept in a row of pens and in the pasture. Most of the buildings are original to the property. Exceptions include a small log cabin and a large log barn built in 1794.
The gift shop and the almshouse are wheelchair accessible but the rest of the property is not very accessible. Most of the rooms on both floors of the summer kitchen building have steps or high thresholds at the entrances. Steep ramps, steps, high thresholds, and uneven ground make access to almost all of the other buildings difficult. The paths are paved with a few rough areas.
The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Museum 39.55879, -76.99509
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