The Jackson County Poor Farm in Talent, Oregon | Jan Wright, November 2011

The Jackson County Poor Farm, 2 miles north of Talent, Oregon, was constructed in 1907 when the Jacksonville Hospital was determined to be in poor repair. Located on a 50 acre parcel at an old stage stop, the Poor Farm is now home to the Phoenix Office of the Southern Oregon Educational Services District, Jackson County Animal Care and a county work release dorm. Wright drew on a box found years ago at the Southern Oregon Historical Society and interviews with descendants of Irene Conger Wells who was caretaker there with her husband William N. Wells from 1914-1914, continuing after William died in 1921 until her retirement in the late 1930s. The Jackson County Poor Farm was taken out of service in the 1950s. Jan Wright presented her research on the Jackson County Poor Farm in November 2011 at the Ashland Branch of Jackson County Library Services as that month's Windows in Time lecture, "Taking Care of Grandpa: the Jackson County Poor Farm." The series is jointly sponsored by JCLS and the Southern Oregon Historical Society.

Jan Wright is an accomplished historian and archivist at the Southern Oregon Historical Society. She was also a long time advocate, archivist and board member at the Talent Historical Society. The author of two books, Talent (Images of America, Arcadia Press, 2009) and Oregon Outcast: John Beeson's Struggle for Justice for the Indians, 1853-1889 (Lulu, 2018), Wright is passionate about local history.

This presentation was filmed and edited by Glen Paris-Stamm as a service to the community in the interest of heritage preservation. It is a Bonne Chance Video Production.