Fairfield County Infirmary
{{Short description|National Register of Historic Places listing in Lancaster, Ohio}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Fairfield County Infirmary
| image = Fairfield County Infirmary.jpg
| caption = Front of the building
| coordinates = {{Coord|39.7394|-82.5881}}
| locmapin = Ohio#USA
| built = {{Start date|1840}}
| refnum = 100005128
| architecture = Italianate
| location = 1587 Granville Pike, Lancaster, Ohio
| area = {{convert|5.939|acre}}{{Cite web |title=April2017-RFP-CEM-Development-Fairfield-Co-LRC |url=https://www.fairfieldcountyland.com/pdf/April2017-RFP-CEM-Development-Fairfield-Co-LRC.pdf |access-date=May 15, 2025 |website=Fairfield County Land Reutilization Corporation}}
}}
The Fairfield County Infirmary, also known as the Fairfield County Poorhouse or Clarence E. Miller Building, is a historic site in Lancaster, Ohio. The current main building was constructed in 1840 and has been vacant since 2013.{{Cite web |date=2016-05-24 |title=Fairfield County Poorhouse |url=https://www.ohioexploration.com/structures/fairfieldcountypoorhouse/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Ohio Exploration Society |language=en-US}}
It is a common tourist attraction for paranormal investigators, allegedly being severely haunted due to its history.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-01 |title=Fairfield County Infirmary Ohio's Most Haunted Poorhouse |url=https://hauntedus.com/ohio/fairfield-county-infirmary/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=hauntedus.com |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=DeLong |first=Beth |date=2020-07-27 |title=Fairfield County Infirmary: A Thrilling Tour for Paranormal Enthusiasts |url=https://adventureaftercancer.net/fairfield-county-infirmary/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}}
A historic cemetery also exists on the property, with the last burial occurring in 1929.{{Cite web |title=Fairfield County Poor House |url=https://www.rootsandrecall.com/fairfield-county/buildings/fairfield-county-poor-house/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=Fairfield County |language=en-US}}
History
Fairfield County Infirmary was first opened in 1828. It was later reconstructed into the current building in 1840 and expanded in 1865.{{Cite web |date=2024-05-25 |title=Fairfield County Infirmary |url=https://thefarlandlegacy.com/fairfield-county-infirmary/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=The Far-Land Legacy |language=en-US}} Numerous deaths occurred at the infirmary. The infirmary was abandoned in 1985 and was reused for county offices until 2013.{{Cite web |title=Infirmary Records, Fairfield County, Ohio, 1848-1910 and Death Records from the Infirmary Records, 1911-1980. – FAIRFIELD COUNTY CHAPTER of the OHIO GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY |url=https://www.fairfieldgenealogy.org/posts/publication/infirmary-records-fairfield-county-ohio-1848-1910-and-death-records-from-the-infirmary-records-1911-1980/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=March 18, 2014 |title=Microsoft Word - 1 Miller Bldg Cover sheet 2-27-14.docx |url=https://www.co.fairfield.oh.us/COMMISH/pdf/3-18-14-VPL-Miller-Bldg-Assessment-Report.pdf |access-date=May 15, 2025 |website=Fairfield County, Ohio Official Website}} It was temporarily repurposed by Habitat for Humanity in 2018.{{Cite web |title=Photos: Fairfield County Home to be repurposed into art center |url=https://www.dispatch.com/picture-gallery/news/local/2018/05/11/photos-fairfield-county-home-to/523295007/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=The Columbus Dispatch |language=en-US}}
In popular culture
A documentary investigating the infirmary was released in 2020.{{Citation |last=Feole |first=Matthew |title=Fairfield County Infirmary: The Forgotten |date=2020-12-19 |type=Documentary |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13623492/ |access-date=2025-05-15 |others=Kasey Boatright, Jeff Fent, Matthew Feole |publisher=Gateway Paranormal Films}} Buses from American Horror Story: Freak Show are also present on the property.{{Cite web |title=Lancaster, OH - Fairfield County Infirmary |url=https://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/71165 |access-date=2025-05-15 |website=RoadsideAmerica.com |language=en}}