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May 2006
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Faces and Places
Among the earliest cousins to work in a responsible county government position were Charles B. and Phoebe (Miner) Fawcett and their son John "Allen" Fawcett and his wife Narcissus. Together, they were stewards of the Preston County Alms House ( Poor House) for a combined four decades. For 21 years, from 1847 to 1868, the Fawcetts were widely known as the proprietors of the county-run facility, which served as a residence for indigent individuals who had no where else to go. The 1850 census of Preston County shows that the poor house had three residents that year -- a 94-year-old man and an 81-year-old man, both labeled "pauper," and a six-year old "insane paup[er]."
Unfortunately, records pertaining to the Fawcetts' service likely burned when the Preston County Court House was destroyed by fire in 1869. The building seen here is gone. In its place is the Preston County High School, which today occupies a sizeable portion of the old poor house property.
Copyright © 2006 Mark A. Miner