Multnomah County Poor Farm
A former Multnomah County public relief and care institution in Troutdale, Oregon, later redeveloped as the McMenamins Edgefield hospitality and entertainment complex.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Multnomah County Poor Farm was a public relief institution established in 1911 in Troutdale, Oregon, to house and support poor, ill, elderly, and otherwise indigent residents from the Portland metropolitan area. It replaced Hillside Farm, an earlier county poor farm in Portland’s West Hills that had opened in 1868 and was eventually closed because of deteriorating conditions. The Troutdale facility was built with a reported budget of $100,000 and became the largest county-funded relief institution in Oregon at the time. The institution combined residential care with agricultural work. Its residents helped tend crops and farm animals, and the property eventually grew to approximately 345 acres. In its first years, the facility accommodated more than 200 residents; by 1914, the population had reached 302. Its population peaked at approximately 614 people in 1935. Expansion reflected the changing needs of the county’s dependent population. An infirmary wing was added in 1934, followed by a doctor’s duplex, incinerator, sprinkler system, and sun porch built with assistance from the Works Progress Administration in the late 1930s and 1940. The institution’s purpose and identity changed after the Second World War. In 1947, the county renamed it the Multnomah County Home and Farm. Farming operations ended in the late 1950s, when the property was renamed Edgefield Manor. During the 1960s, the complex became a multipurpose care site: the principal building operated as a nursing home, while another building was used as the Edgefield Lodge for Emotionally Disturbed Children. County commissioners referred to the broader complex as the Edgefield Center. Declining institutional use eventually placed the property at risk. Multnomah County proposed closing the Edgefield facilities in 1972, and a 1975 estimate placed needed renovations at $400,000. The final patients were relocated in 1982, after which the facility officially closed. In the mid-1980s, county committees considered removing most of the buildings to make the land easier to market. The Troutdale Historical Society opposed demolition, arguing that the surviving structures had substantial historical value. The preservation campaign helped lead to recognition of the site. In 1990, the former poor farm was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. That same year, McMenamins acquired the property and began adapting it into McMenamins Edgefield, a lodging, dining, brewing, cultural, and entertainment destination. The modern complex includes restaurants, pubs, gardens, a movie theater, a golf course, wedding and event spaces, and an outdoor concert venue. Thus, the Multnomah County Poor Farm is best understood as a historic institutional property whose original public-care function ended in the twentieth century, rather than as an active contemporary brand. Its surviving buildings and grounds now operate under the Edgefield name within the McMenamins group.
History
Responsibility for caring for poor residents was assigned to Oregon counties by the territorial legislature in 1854. Multnomah County opened its first poor farm, Hillside Farm, in Portland’s West Hills in 1868. The 160-acre facility occupied land near Canyon Road, in an area now associated with Washington Park. It was later judged to be in unacceptable physical condition, prompting the county to develop a replacement outside Portland. The Multnomah County Poor Farm was constructed in Troutdale and opened in 1911. Its reported construction budget was $100,000. The main building was erected by a plastering crew and by Swedish immigrant workers employed as carpenters and bricklayers. In November 1911, 211 residents transferred from the former facility to the new site. The institution was intended to house people who were poor, ill, elderly, or otherwise unable to live independently, while also maintaining a working farm. Residents participated in caring for animals and cultivating crops. The farm expanded during the early twentieth century. By 1914, it housed 302 residents, and the property ultimately covered roughly 345 acres. An infirmary wing was added in 1934 to serve an aging population. The resident population reached its highest reported level, 614, in 1935. Public Works Progress Administration projects in 1939 and 1940 added a doctor’s duplex, an incinerator, a sprinkler system, and a sun porch. These improvements reflected the site’s development from a simple poor farm into a substantial county care campus. The institution was renamed the Multnomah County Home and Farm in 1947. As public approaches to institutional care changed, agricultural operations were discontinued in the late 1950s and the property became Edgefield Manor. In 1964, the complex was reorganized for multiple care-related uses. The main lodge operated as a nursing home, while a separate building became the Edgefield Lodge for Emotionally Disturbed Children. County commissioners designated the broader property the Edgefield Center. By the 1970s, the county was considering closure. A proposal to shut the Edgefield facilities was made in 1972, and a 1975 assessment estimated that approximately $400,000 would be needed for renovations. The last three patients were moved elsewhere in 1982, bringing the institutional era to an end. In 1985, county committees considered clearing most of the buildings, retaining only the jail, so that the land could be marketed to prospective buyers. The proposed demolition prompted local preservation advocacy. In 1986, the Troutdale Historical Society challenged the county’s plan, emphasizing the architectural and social importance of the surviving buildings. The former poor farm was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. That year, McMenamins purchased the property and undertook its reuse as McMenamins Edgefield. The Edgefield redevelopment converted the former institutional campus into a hospitality and entertainment complex while retaining and adapting historic structures. Its uses include lodging, restaurants, pubs, gardens, a movie theater, a golf course, wedding and event facilities, and an outdoor concert venue. The site has hosted musical performers and other cultural programming. The original poor-farm institution is no longer active, but its buildings and grounds remain in use as a preserved historic property under the Edgefield identity.
- 1990
Historic listing and McMenamins acquisition
[1]The property entered the National Register of Historic Places and was purchased by McMenamins for redevelopment as Edgefield.
- 1986
Local preservation challenge
[1]The Troutdale Historical Society challenged plans to remove most of the historic buildings.
- 1982
Institution closes
[1]The remaining three patients were relocated before the facility officially closed.
- 1964
Complex becomes a multipurpose care center
[1]The property was designated the Edgefield Center; the main building became a nursing home and another building served emotionally disturbed children.
- 1947
Renamed Multnomah County Home and Farm
[1]The county changed the institution’s name as its role continued to evolve.
- 1940
Additional WPA improvements
[1]A WPA-supported program added an incinerator, sprinkler system, and sun porch.
- 1939
Works Progress Administration construction
[1]A doctor’s duplex was built with Works Progress Administration involvement.
- 1935
Population peaks
[1]The resident population reached approximately 614 people, the highest level reported for the institution.
- 1934
Infirmary wing added
[1]An infirmary wing was constructed to care for the institution’s aging population.
- 1914
Resident population reaches 302
[1]The facility housed 302 residents who helped maintain crops and farm animals.
Products and positioning
Historically, the institution was positioned as a county-operated relief, residential, and agricultural facility for poor and dependent residents. In its later life as Edgefield, the preserved property was repositioned as a heritage hospitality and entertainment destination.
Public institutional care · 1911
Poor-relief residential care
The facility’s central function was to provide county-supported housing and care for poor, ill, elderly, and indigent residents who could not live independently. Residents lived in a supervised institutional setting and, during the farm’s active period, contributed to daily agricultural work and maintenance.
Agriculture and institutional support · 1911
Agricultural farm operations
The Troutdale property operated as a working farm, with residents helping manage livestock, crops, and grounds. Farming supported the institution’s operations and formed part of its public-relief model until agricultural activity ended in the late 1950s.
Long-term care · 1964
Nursing-home services
After the site’s poor-farm role declined, the principal building was used as a nursing home under the Edgefield Manor name. This function continued until the remaining patients were relocated and the institution closed in 1982.
Hospitality and entertainment · 1990
Historic hospitality and entertainment complex
Following McMenamins’ 1990 acquisition, the historic campus was adapted into McMenamins Edgefield. The reuse combines lodging, restaurants, pubs, gardens, a movie theater, golf, weddings and events, and an outdoor concert venue. These activities belong to the later Edgefield operation rather than to the original county institution.
Brand decisions
1990
McMenamins acquires and redevelops the siteM&ABackground
After the former institution closed and faced possible demolition, a new use was needed for the historic buildings and grounds.
Action taken
McMenamins purchased the property and converted it into the Edgefield lodging and entertainment complex.
Aftermath
The site gained a continuing hospitality and cultural use while retaining its historic structures; it was also listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the same year.
1985
County considers clearing the propertyStrategyBackground
After closure planning, county committees evaluated how to market the land to potential buyers.
Action taken
Committees considered removing all buildings except the jail.
Aftermath
The Troutdale Historical Society challenged the proposal in 1986, contributing to later preservation of the site.
1972
County proposes closing the Edgefield facilitiesStrategyBackground
Declining institutional use and the changing structure of public care led Multnomah County to consider ending operations at the Edgefield facilities.
Action taken
The county proposed closure and later assessed the cost of necessary renovations.
Aftermath
The remaining patients were eventually relocated, and the institution formally closed in 1982.
Estimated renovation requirement. $400,000 (1975 estimate)
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