Van Buren CountySettlers attracted by lumbering came to this area in the 1830s. By the 1860s a mild climate, rich soil and easy access to the Chicago markets created a thriving fruit industry in Van Buren County. The county was one of thirteen pla…
This two and a half story brick building was constructed in 1884 as the county poorhouse and infirmary. Here lived the indigent and mentally retarded from Van Buren County. Able-bodied residents worked on the grounds and on the adjacent farm where…