Vernon County Institutions - Viroqua, WI, USA - Barns on Waymarking.com

The Vernon County Alms House and Insane Asylum were established in the 1800's and the buildings stood until beyond 1976. They represented a time where people knew little about mental illness and dependency and attempted to treat the conditions through isolationism. One good aspect to the Wisconsin institutions was the creation of the County Farms or as they were known the poor farms. These farms were created around the turn of the century to teach residents of both alms houses and insane asylums how to have a trade in order to integrate back into society. These farms would produce local produce, grains, and dairy that were often sold at local Co-ops to help pay for the farms. This barn which stands on county property and is still used for agricultural purposes for the county stands as the last remaining building of the old County Farm. In 2014, local students from the local Youth Initiative High School studied at the barn and painted the mural which is there today.

Construction: Combination Is this a 'working' barn?: Other (describe below) Other: Used by Vernon County agricultural department for agricultural, education, and historic purposes. Distinctive Features: Barn Art (tell us about it below) Other Distinctive Features: Vernon County Institutions mural painted by the students of the local Youth Initiative High School. Rating - Please Rate this Barn:

Visit Instructions:

When visiting a waymark, please take pictures that clearly show the barn and any implements, animals or other farm-related items that might be visible. This category can be as much about creative photography as the actual building itself. 

Tell us about your visit. Is this the first time you saw this barn? Did you make a special trip to 'visit' this waymark? Are you a 'country mouse' or 'city mouse'?

Recent Visits/Logs:

There are no logs for this waymark yet.