by
Erin Doane, Curator
Federation
Farm was a residential treatments center for children who were undernourished,
anemic, or had been exposed to tuberculosis. The farmhouse, located on six
acres of land on Hoffman Street in Elmira, opened its doors on April 14, 1917. Creation
of the farm was spearheaded by two members of the Women’s Federation of Social
Services, Mrs. John M. Connelly and Mrs. Thomas Fitzgerald. They were able to
purchase the farm property with money from the sale of Red Cross seals and a
donation from Mrs. J. Sloat Fassett.
|
Federation Farm |
Tuberculosis
was a major problem in the early 1900s. The disease mainly affects the lungs
and is spread through the air from one person to another. Crowded living
conditions and poor hygiene could increase rates of infection. The purpose of
the Federation Farm was to help prevent the spread of the disease by removing
children from poor conditions and building up their health. It was estimated that
it would cost six times as much to treat and care for someone with tuberculosis
as to prevent its onset through good nutrition and a healthy outdoor
environment. Children between the ages of five and twelve in homes where there
had been cases of tuberculosis were recommended for treatment at the farm with
no cost to the families.
|
Children playing at Federation Farm |
Federation
Farm was seen as an ideal place for children to gain weight and build up their
health. Situated on the outskirts of the city, there was plenty of open space
and fresh air. Skinny, pale children would be kept at the farm fulltime from as
little as a month to up to two years until they were robust and healthy. Physicians
examined the children when they first arrived and continued treating them
throughout their stay. Parents were allowed to visit on weekends but otherwise
the children were under the full charge of the matron. Most of their time was
spent outdoors, playing and helping in the garden or with the chickens. A
teacher appointed by the Elmira City School District came daily to teach
lessons on the porch.
|
A class on the porch |
When
the farm first opened in 1917, it could accommodate 12 children. Before any of
them arrived, the public was invited to tour the home. It was reported that the
children would enjoy the most modern conveniences including electric lights, a
water heater, and a hot air furnace. The bedrooms on the first floor for the
girls and second floor for the boys were all prettily decorated with blue
checkered blankets on the beds. There were also sleeping porches. They were sure
to benefit from the wholesome environment and five healthy meals a day.
|
Children helping in the garden |
The
Federation Farm operated entirely on donations – both money and materials.
Toys, books, ice skates, canned fruit and vegetables, and even the beds that
the children slept in were all donated. Proceeds from the sale of Christmas
seals by the Red Cross went to keeping the farm operating and donations from
private individuals and organizations were solicited to meet deficits.
|
The Odd Fellows and Rebekahs held
fundraisers to help support Federation
Farm throughout the 1920s
|
While
many people contributed to keep the farm open, it perpetually struggled to find
funding. It was close to shutting down in 1919 before New York State Governor
Alfred E. Smith helped push the sale of Christmas Seals, its main source of
revenue. In 1927, the Exchange Club in Elmira held an emergency vote and
decided to finance the farm to keep it from closing due to lack of funds. Later
that year, the Chemung County Board of Supervisors voted to take over
management. With the county in control, tax dollars were then used to fund operations
and maintenance. The farm became known as the Chemung County Preventorium and
was placed under the same management as the Chemung County Sanatorium.
By
1940, the number of children being treated at the farm had dropped
significantly. Over the years, hundreds of children had been treated there. In
1926 alone, 49 children had been in residence and 143 medical treatments and
operations of various kinds were provided. In his statement to the Board of
Supervisors in November of that year, Dr. Arthur W. Booth reported that only
eight patients remained on the farm. With reluctance, he recommended that the Preventorium
discontinue its activities and he submitted no budget for the next year.
Parents took the last children home after a Christmas party on December 18,
1940. In 1943, the building was razed and the property became part of the
federal housing project that was built to accommodate workers in the local
wartime defense industries.
This home must have brought peace of mind to many parents in the area to know you could send your sick child there to recover from TB and not be burdened with the expense. Thank goodness the Women's Federal of Social Services were able to do this for the community.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting piece of history!
ReplyDelete