January 21, 2012 — On the first day for an accumulation of wintry precipitation this season, a reflective silence surrounds the old Cecil County Cemetery and Poorhouse, as freshly fallen snow blankets the almshouse on a Saturday morning in January. The Potter’s Field, the final resting place for paupers who couldn’t afford a burial, is located across from Mt. Aviat Academy. On the grounds of what was the county poorhouse, it contains some 150 to 200 unmarked graves. The Alms House opened about 1776 and closed in 1952 when the county put the property up for sale. It was purchased by Elk Paper Manufacturing Company and the new owner donated part of the tract to the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales for Mt. Aviat Academy, a Catholic Elementary school.
Is the builidng used for anything now?
John the sisters use it as part of the Academy. The older structure, the ones shown in this picture, are from the 1800s and are used for the convent. They also still use the poorhouse cemetery to bury members of the order.