First Johnson County Asylum

First Johnson County Asylum
The asylum building is on the right.
Location West of Iowa City
Coordinates 41°39′22.6″N 91°36′19.4″W / 41.656278°N 91.605389°W / 41.656278; -91.605389Coordinates: 41°39′22.6″N 91°36′19.4″W / 41.656278°N 91.605389°W / 41.656278; -91.605389
Area less than one acre
Built 1861[1]
Part of Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum Historic District (#14000668)
NRHP reference # 78001226[2]
Added to NRHP August 31, 1978

The First Johnson County Asylum is a historic building located on the far west side of Iowa City, Iowa, United States. The first facility Johnson County built to care for paupers and the mentally ill was a four-room cabin in 1855. Two wings were added to the original building six years later. All that remains of this structure is this wing that housed the mentally ill.[3] The single-story wood frame structure with a gable roof was used by the county for this purpose until 1886 when a new facility was completed. It was initially thought that it was built in 1859, but later research revealed that it was built in 1861 and that it was moved a short distance to this location in 1888.[1] This building served for many years as a hog building on the Johnson County Poor Farm.[4] It is now part of an education-based farm program called Grow:Johnson County. The building was individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[2] In 2014 it was included as a contributing property in the Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum Historic District.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Leah D. Rogers. "Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum Historic District" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-06-09.
  2. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ Mr. and Mrs. Joe Miltner. "First Johnson County Asylum". National Park Service. Retrieved 2017-06-09. with photo(s)
  4. ↑ "What We Do". Grow:Johnson County. Retrieved 2017-06-09.


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