Saline County Poor Farm
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Saline County Poor Farm in Harrisburg, Illinois, preserves the surviving core of a county-run home for the poor. Of the original 175 acres, 3.46 remain, holding a 2 ½-story brick poor house built in 1877 in a modified Italianate style, a board-and-batten storage building, and a separate cemetery across Feazel Street. A matching addition around 1904 doubled the house in size. Inside, the first floor housed the superintendent's family, the second floor held small sleeping rooms for residents, and the basement contained the kitchen. The county bought the land in 1863 and first used log buildings before building the brick house. The farm reflects the shift from auctioning paupers to individual caretakers toward housing them in a county almshouse. It is recognized for its role in local social welfare between 1877 and 1950. Buildings moved onto the site in 1961 now serve a museum but are not counted as contributing resources.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1877-1950 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Italianate |
| Areas of significance | Social History |
| Acreage | 3.5 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Saline County Poor Farm (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.