Polk County Poor Farm

The Polk County Poor Farm in Amery was in operation from 1874 into the 1950s. Local legend says that during that time, a young boy witnessed thieves stealing cattle from the farm. The thieves stabbed the boy to death, and he has been haunting the area ever since.

When the poor farm closed, it was sold and became private property. Professional wrestler George “Scrap Iron” Gadaski is said to have owned it at one point.

While renovations were being done on the house some time later, workers saw a young boy watching them from one of the windows of the home. No children lived there or were present at the time.

The nearby poor farm cemetery, known today as the Amery Prairie Home Cemetery, is full of unmarked graves which have been accidentally exhumed by farming activities in the field it borders from time to time. The cemetery has recently begun being used for green burials.