"Yes, Virginia, there really was such a thing as a Poorhouse! It was not just something your parents made up, like a boogeyman, to frighten you into saving your money and spending carefully and to discourage you from making excessive, greedy demands on the family budget. County Poorhouses dotted the United States throughout most of the 1800s. " Exerpt from the Main Page <A HREF="http://www.poorhousestory.com/">The Poorhouse Story</A> http://www.poorhousestory.com/