This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/0dB.2ACI/4098.1 Message Board Post: The Venango County Home was the "county farm," which many counties maintained at that time for citizens of the county who were not able to support or care for themselves. I don't have documentation for the County Home, but I was born and reared in Venango County, and I will tell you what I remember. Some of the residents were indigent, such as widows or orphans, or people who had lost their job. Others were physically handicapped, and did not have family members who were able or willing to care for them. The County Home was a residential facility located on a large farm, and the income from the farm provided financial support for the Home. I belive that produce from the farm was sold in Franklin, the county seat town nearby. I am guessing that the "boarders" were those who could pay for their care, and the "inmates" were supported at county expense, but that is only a guess on my part.