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OVER the hill to the poor-house I’m trudgin’ my weary way—,  

I, a woman of seventy, and only a trifle gray—,  

I, who am smart an’ chipper, for all the years I’ve told,  

As many another woman that’s only half as old.  

Over the hill to the poor-house—I can’t quite make it clear!          

Over the hill to the poor-house—it seems so horrid queer!  

Many a step I've taken a-toilin’ to and fro,  

But this is a sort of journey I never thought to go. 

The story from the above 1872 Will Carleton poem “Adversity” was once a common tale for those living with poverty or disability in America. Anyone who could not find self-supporting work – due to age, physical or mental disability, dependent children, or other factors – and who had no family to care for them would find themselves facing the prospect of the poorhouse. Originating in the United Kingdom, poorhouses were institutions designed to employ the poor and disabled in exchange for food, housing and healthcare. As the British Empire spread, so did its ideologies; Colonial America’s larger cities featured poorhouses and, as the Union formed and expanded, so followed poorhouses or – as was more common in the U.S. – poor farms. County governments in each state oversaw poor farms where residents, then referred to as “inmates”, were expected to complete farm labor and housework for room and board. 

By the early 20th century, most Kansas counties had a poor farm. Johnson County’s poor farm was built on a 160-acre plot at the corner of what is now 119th Street and Ridgeview Road in Olathe. While its specific origin date is unclear, it opened in the mid-1860s with 8 residents working the farm. With the assistance of a small staff, they grew corn, oats, black sorghum, hay potatoes, cow peas and apples. They raised hogs, cows and chickens. During its tenure, the farm housed an average of 15-40 residents, though times of widespread hardship saw higher numbers.  

In 1909, a visiting representative from the Olathe Mirror newspaper described the farm as clean, well-furnished and comfortable. Of its then twelve residents, it was said: “Some of these are too aged to be of any assistance and three of them are blind, so that as a whole, the inmates instead of being a help either on the farm or in the infirmary, must be helped.” This was true for many farms across the country. The circumstances leading people to poor farms often made them unsuitable for the hard labor of farm work. Over time, many county-appointed superintendents found it more financially viable to rent their farmland out, using the proceeds to provide for their residents, rather than rely on them for farm output.  

As management for poor farms was largely unregulated, quality of life varied greatly among different counties and states. Some superintendents received salaries while others made only what the farm earnings would allow. Ideologies differed too, on what poor farms were designed for, with some treating them as purely charitable ventures while others sought high profits – leading many residents to experience mental and physical abuse, overwork and unclean and inadequate surroundings. Residents of poor farms sometimes shared one razor, toothbrush and wash basin among themselves. Unsurprisingly, disease spread quickly in these places. To justify such conditions, superintendents would claim they did not want to provide what they saw as luxury items, believing that providing comforts would prevent residents from wanting to leave poor farms – but most never had the ability to leave, regardless of want. 

Poor farms were ubiquitous for over a century in the United States, but population and economic changes made the already shaky system untenable in the first half of the 20th century. The 1929 economic crisis that ushered in the Great Depression led to overwhelming need for poor relief. Poor farms lacked funding to care for their already existing residents and were unable to take on further economic burdens. By 1933 almost one-third of all Kansas farmland was tax delinquent, and the country was in crisis. In 1935 Congress created the Social Security Act and, with it, federal financial support for the elderly, disabled, dependent mothers and children, and unemployed. These changes, along with a series of housing reforms, allowed many who would have faced poor farms to live independently. Three years later, nearly a third of all Kansas poor farms had been repurposed or closed entirely. 

As methods of social relief changed, so did public opinion. Poor farms were increasingly viewed as inhumane and outdated, and public thought turned toward newer institutions designed to provide for people on an individual level – nursing homes, mental health facilities and schools for deaf and blind students. Many former Kansas poor farms were converted to nursing homes, community centers and hospitals. Operating through the end of World War II, the Johnson County Poor Farm became a senior care facility before the land was repurposed for government use. Gone but not entirely forgotten, the plot where the farm once stood still provides services to the county’s many residents; it now houses the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, MED-ACT and the K-State Research and Extension Office.  

-Sam S., Johnson County Library

We can’t have a Writers Conference without books, can we? 



Sure, the conference will happen in a library, a place full of books and people who can help you find even more books. And faculty members have books that they’ve written that you can buy. But there’s something special about having one book that you know others have read (or at least skimmed) before we’re all in the same space. (There’s also something special about getting a copy of your own, for free, when you register for the conference!)



A little background on our philosophy about an all-conference book: last year was the first year that we included free copies of books for attendees. We tied those books to a particular session, and attendees had to be registered for and attend those particular sessions to be eligible for a copy of the book.



That was great. So great, in fact, that we wanted to expand that idea. This year we wanted all attendees to get a conference book. And we wanted them to get the book just for coming to the conference, not because they were interested in a certain session or discussion.



Why? Our leader, Helen Hokanson, explains: “The subtitle ‘How to Think, Create, and Lead in Unconventional Ways’ pretty much sums up why we chose Creative Acts for Curious People as our all conference read. We were looking for a book that would resonate with everyone, which is a tall order. The exercises offer something for everyone and it's a book that our conference attendees can use far into the future. It's not a book you read cover to cover, come to discuss and never pick up again. Our hope is that it will stimulate creative thinking, spark brilliant conversations, and remain a resource long after the conference is over.”



Some people have asked if the book is really free. It is! Others have asked if they have to attend a certain session to qualify. You don’t! All you have to do is register for the conference and then stop by our Central Resource branch to grab your copy. Of course, this is a first-come, first-served situation; once the books are gone, you can certainly borrow a copy from our collection or order one on your own, but once our supply is gone, it’s gone.

—written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist

Our tribute to game shows continues with Library Jeopardy and Wheel of Fiction! Whad'ya know about the Library? Join former Jeopardy auditionee, Austin, as he does such a great job hosting that even Alex Trebek would be proud. Charles and Dave battle in a head-to-head Library trivia tournament of titans! Then, we bring in in Collection Development Librarian Beth and Reader's Advisory Librarians Gregg and Helen. They spin the wheel, but will it be fortune or failure as they are given book descriptions from our catalog and they're asked to identify titles? Spoiler alert, we chose really hard ones! 

It's the Library Lowdown Quiz Showdown Part II! 

BTW, if you missed Part I where we play Bluff the Librarian and Library Password, whad'ya waiting for?!

Portia Stewart isn’t coming to the Writers Conference to teach us how to write, at least not in the conventional sense. Her sessions have nothing to do with the craft or the semantics of writing, nor do they focus on making our writing better through revision or research or collaboration. And yet, her sessions are vital to the very essence of writing in that they are all about focus, creativity, and finding the energy and drive to keep writing, even when the writing is difficult.



Portia’s experience includes being a former vice president of content and content strategy, and she has more than 20 years of experience that includes leading creative teams. In addition, Portia is a registered yoga instructor and certified meditation and mindfulness coach. She specializes in helping creative people maximize their performance, and launched a business, Mind Full Creatives, in 2021 with the goal of helping businesses sync their innovation investments to revenue.

Portia will lead two sessions during the conference: Meditation for Creation and Focus and Yoga to Light the Creative Spark. You won’t need any special equipment to attend these sessions; simply show up and Portia will lead you through the rest!



You can learn more about Portia by visiting her website (linked above), utilizing the free meditations on her site, or by watching this video, in which she joined Seed Speaks to discuss overcoming imposter syndrome.

—written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist

Beth Gruver Gulley is a Kansas poet and professor who likes to get lost in the woods. She has a curious, adventuresome streak: she’s jumped from moving buses in Paraguay, visited the breeding ground for Giant Chinese Salamanders, and run more than fifty miles at a time.



Beth has published five collections of poetry: “The Sticky Note Alphabet,” “Dragon Eggs,” "The Love of Ornamental Fish,” "Little Fish: Tiny Mediations on Freedom,” and “Since Corona Ruined Our Trip to the Library.” She is a member of the Kansas Authors Club and the Riverfront Reading Committee. She also serves on the Writers Place board. When Beth is not writing, teaching at Johnson County Community College or volunteering, she likes to hang out with her cat.



Of her writing, former Poet Laureate of Kansas Kevin Rabas says, “Beth Gulley is a writer of profound insight, someone who can see both the catastrophe and the miracle in almost anything. These poems are proof. In them, there is a cat that rides thirty miles on the motor of a car being towed. There is an asteroid that almost hits earth on a beloved’s birthday: ‘Your birthday will still be sweet/without the explosion.’ This is the world of Aimee Bender or Judy Budnitz, but it is also our world, as Kansans—or your story, wherever you live.”



We’re thrilled to welcome Beth to the Writers Conference faculty this year! She’ll be leading a session titled, “Writing In the Park” on both Friday and Saturday. Bring your lawn chair (or a blanket) and your notebook and pen(cil); Beth will bring the prompts and the inspiration.

—written by Lisa Allen, adult services specialist