The Pest House

Indiana · United States · House

People with smallpox were put in this house during an outbreak in the early 1900s. The death rate in it was very high.

This house at Knightstown, Indiana was used as a quarantine building during a smallpox outbreak in the early twentieth century, and the death rate among those put in it was very high.

A local historian visiting the house was greeted at the front door by a figure, and the description he gave is the account.

Pest houses were the standard response to contagious disease before vaccination made it unnecessary. A town would designate a building away from everybody, put the sick in it, and leave food at the door. Smallpox in particular killed around a third of those who caught it and disfigured most of the rest.

Being sent to the pest house was understood by everyone as a sentence rather than a treatment.

Smallpox was declared eradicated worldwide in 1980, the only human disease ever eliminated.

The house is private property.

FAQ

Where is The Pest House located?

The Pest House is in Indiana, United States.