That got me going on another research spree, and as I perused the newspaper archives, I started noticing a pattern. Throughout the 1910's, 1920's, and even into the 1930's, every December the local newspaper ran little features by 'The Santa Claus Club,' asking citizens to help make the Christmas season a little brighter for both the children at the Children's Home, and the mostly elderly residents of the Fairfield County Infirmary. Fruit, candy, magazines, interesting books, and tobacco products were among the most wished for items at the infirmary, as these were nice little extra luxuries to supplement the already well taken care of needs of the patients.
In an effort to further humanize these poor souls and appeal to the charitable side of the readers, these articles often contained some human interest-type stories from infirmary residents. Most of the time, these were just short blurbs featuring a brief rundown of the circumstances which led to the patients being admitted to the infirmary, or even a short quote about their feelings on the place. However, in 1922, the local paper really outdid itself with its featured Fairfield tale. The following is an excerpt which appeared in the Lancaster-Eagle Gazette on December 16, 1922:
WONDERFUL XMAS STORY
Comes from Fairfield County Infirmary---Read It and Then Help
Truth is stranger than fiction, so runs the old adage, and a story that came from the Fairfield County Infirmary last week tends to confirm the ancient saying.
A high powered car with a chauffeur at the wheel stopped at the institution, while a gray haired gentleman of apparent refinement stepped from the car and making his way to the office made known his errand. He asked if he might be permitted to look about the premises, stating that he was raised there as a child seventy years ago. The matron Mrs. Hummell escorted him about the building and he inquired for the room in which he had been raised. Being unable to find it, he was finally ushered up to the attic, which by the way is a finished one, and in recent years has been used for storage only.
The infirmary was built eighty years ago and for a long time was used both as Infirmary and Children's Home. Upon entering the attic the aged man exclaimed, "Yes, this is the room in which I was raised," and then he told the following remarkable story to the matron:
"Seventy years ago this Christmas, my mother took me covered over in a basket into the railway depot at Lancaster and she said to another woman sitting there, will you kindly watch this basket for a few moments while I step across the street. My mother never returned and all that I know about her is that she was well dressed and apparently a woman of refinement. I was warranted to the County Infirmary, and at ten years of age I was adopted by a good family. Today I own two of the largest shoe stores in Dayton and I am a man of wealth, but I would gladly give every dollar that I possess if I could but find my mother.
For many years I have advertised and searched through many Infirmaries, hoping against hope that I may find her. While my life has been crowned with success in a business way, still I feel that it has been a great failure on account of not being able to find my mother. I have gone through life with an aching heart. I have never married as I feared that that step might interfere with my search."
The stranger's card read James G. Randolph.
| How we found our REM Pod. No one had been in this section of the building. This was the attic space said to house the children. |
I couldn't tell you how much of this, and other stories posted in these features was true, and how much was made up to tug at the heartstrings. It's certainly plausible, though. We do have documentation that the infirmary was home to many children during its early years, as a dedicated Children's Home for the area wasn't established until the 1880's. And, during our last trip there, we were told that a portion of the attic space was where the youngest patients (or inmates, as they were often called) were housed. In fact...it was in this space where we may have actually interacted with a child spirit. And, it was the location where we found a piece of our equipment with the back battery compartment removed and the battery on the floor...despite the fact that no one had been in that area.
As we get closer to the big day, I'll be posting more information and other interesting tidbits about this really cool location, which served as Fairfield's 'poor farm' and home for those who could not care for themselves between 1848 and 1985. That long of a stretch means there's plenty of opportunity for some crazy stuff to have been documented. But, I wanted to get this little Christmas story out in time for the holidays and to act as a little teaser to the new year ahead. SRI looks forward to investigating some great locations in 2024, and sharing our adventures with you! Please subscribe to our YouTube Channel and follow us on Facebook for more information.
Have a wonderful holiday season, a very Merry Christmas, and as always...Stay Spooky!
This post first appeared on Theresa's Haunted History Of The Tri-State, please read the originial post: here
