Edinburgh Manor

Edinburgh Manor is located in Scotch Grove, Iowa. The town of Edinburgh was originally the county seat of Jones County. In June 1840, the land located at section 36 in Wayne Township was originally deeded for courthouse purposes with the grant being signed by President Buchanan. Shortly after this grant the county seat was changed from Edinburgh and the commissioners kept the grant for the establishment of the County Poor Farm. Described as a "comfortable retreat for the lazy, able-bodied and willingly dependent applicants," the Poor Farm housed the poor, incurably insane and disabled. Tenants were given shelter and food for their labor. They would farm agriculture and livestock. The poor farm was in operation from 1850-1910 and in that time there were over 150+ documented deaths on the property.

In 1910, the poor farm closed down and was demolished. Edinburgh Manor was then constructed from 1910-1911 to house the incurably insane, the poor and the elderly. Edinburgh Manor, also referred to as The Manor, was in operation until November 2010.

Edinburgh Manor is situated on over eleven acres of land. The East side housed the women, while the West side housed the men. Most all of the beds and furniture are original to the building.

A former patient drowned in pond and there was an actual article on this event. Another article states that an escaped patient was hit by a car on Route 151 in the 1960s or 1970s. There are also documented reports of several patients who fell down the stairs, hit their heads and died. Two people from the Poor Farm are actually buried in the cemetery across the street.