Throughout the pioneer days of Madison county, each township supported its own poor, but finally the duty devolved upon the county, and private individuals were engaged to support indigent persons, or pay for doing so. In September, 1857, the county commissioners appropriated fifteen thousand dollars toward purchasing land and erecting suitable buildings for a county infirmary, provided, however, that the county vote in favor of said appropriation at the following October election. Whether or not the commissioners' action was ratified, is not a matter of record, but nothing was done toward establishing the infirmary for more than six years subsequent to that event. On the 9th of June, 1864, the commissioners purchased one hundred and ten acres of land from Jesse Watson and James Q. Minshall, paying for the same ninety five dollars per acre. This tract was situated immediately South of London, and a portion of it is now inside the corporate limits. Fruit trees were planted, fences built and the property somewhat improved, but no buildings were erected, nor was it ever occupied for infirmary purposes, and was finally sold.
The present county farm was purchased on June 6, 1866, from James Rankin, Jr., and originally contained sixty-eight and one-quarter acres of land, for which the county paid seventy-five dollars an acre. Additions have since been made and the county now has a farm of one hundred and ninety-five acres. The commissioners met on July 2, 1866, and appointed three infirmary directors, J. W. Carr, William Cryder and Richard Baskerville, and they in turn, subsequently, appointed G. W. Darety as superintendent of the infirmary. On July 17, 1866, he took possession of the frame house standing on the farm when purchased, and on July 31, following, the first inmates were admitted. On the 3rd of August, 1866, bids were advertised for the erection of a "lunatic building," and on September 3, following, the contract was awarded to Ginn & Henry, of Cedarville, to be completed by November 5, at a cost of $4,999. On the 6th of November, the contract for erecting a new infirmary building was given to the same firm, at a cost of $18,000. After the erection of this building, it was found very imperfect; even prior to its completion it had been discovered that the contractors were not doing the work according to contract. The building was found absolutely unsafe, and on August 31, 1868, was condemned by Anderson & Hannaford, architects of Cincinnati, whom the commissioners called upon to examine the structure. The board then took the matter in hand, remodeled and strengthened the building wherever necessary, and carried the whole to completion. Mr. Darety continued as superintendent and moved into the new building on January 11, 1872. In August, 1873, Isaac Curl succeeded Mr. Darety and served until April 1, 1875, at which time William M. Jackson become superintendent, and he, in turn, was succeeded by J. Smith Davidson, April 1, 1877.