Johnson County Poor Farm & Asylum

*Open by appointment only. Please contact Johnson County Historical Society at least two business days in advance to schedule a tour.

In 1855, the Johnson County supervisors decided to procure 160 acres on the edge of Iowa City for a “poor farm” to care for it’s citizens. The farm was to be self-supporting and the labor of the residents would help compensate the county for their care. Crop farming and dairy production were primary functions of the farm until the 1970’s.

The Johnson County Poor Farm site is important to Iowa’s history, telling the story of the county’s care for it’s citizens and the mentally ill from the earliest days until today. Today, the Johnson County Historical Society provides interpretation of the Johnson County Poor Farm and Asylum.