Moundsville Prison : 無料・フリー素材/写真
Moundsville Prison / Mike Tewkesbury
| ライセンス | クリエイティブ・コモンズ 表示-改変禁止 2.1 |
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| 説明 | The West Virginia State Penitentiary is located in Moundsville West Virginia and operated from 1876 to 1995. Currently the site is maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility.Top Row L-R: Administration building, Exterior stone walls, Exterior wall with guard tower, Interior- Rear of administration building 2nd Row L-R: Interior- Razor wire strung over secluded recreation area, A cell belonging to someone named Roger, Cell block, Cell block3rd Row L-R: Interior iron doorway, Circular entrance gate, No contact visitation area, Cafeteria4th Row L-R: Modern cafeteria area, Inside kitchen area, More cells, An inmate's cell art5th Row L-R: More cell art, 'Old Sparkey', 30 cal. machine gun, Inmate's ceiling art In 1863 West Virginia seceded from Virginia at the height of the American Civil War. Consequently, the new state had a shortage of various public institutions, including prisons. From 1863 to 1866, Governor Arthur I. Boreman lobbied the West Virginia Legislature for a state penitentiary but was repeatedly denied. The Legislature attempted to direct him to send the prisoners to other institutions out of the state, and then directed him to use existing county jails, which turned out to be inadequate. After nine inmates escaped in 1865, the local press took up the cause, and the Legislature took action.On 7 February 1866, the state legislature approved the purchase of land in Moundsville for the purpose of constructing a state prison. Ten acres were purchased just outside of the then city limits of Moundsville for $3000. Moundsville proved an attractive site, as it is approximately twelve miles south of Wheeling, West Virginia, which at that time was the state capital.The state built a temporary wooden prison nearby that summer. This gave prison officials time to assess what prison design should be used. Northern Illinois Penitentiary at Joliet proved to be an attractive design. Its Gothic Revival architecture exhibited, as much as possible, great strength and conveyed to the mind a cheerless blank indicative of the misery which awaits the unhappy being who enters within its walls. It was made with hand cut sandstone, which was quarried from a local site.The state used prison labor during the construction process, and work continued on its first phase until 1876. The north and south cellblock areas were constructed, both measuring 300 feet by 52 feet. South Hall had 224 7x4 foot cells, and North Hall had a kitchen, dining area, hospital, and chapel. Connecting the two is a 4 story tower housing the administration building. It included space for female inmates and personal living quarters for the warden and his family. The facility officially opened in this year, and it had a prison population of 251 male inmates, including some who had helped construct the very prison that now held them. After this phase, work began on prison workshops and other secondary facilities.In 1929, the state decided to double the size of the penitentiary because overcrowding was a problem. The 5 x 7 foot cells were too small to hold three prisoners at a time, but until the expansion there was no other option. Two prisoners would sleep in the bunks with the third sleeping on a mattress on the floor. The state utilized prison labor once again and completed this phase of construction in 1959. The construction had been delayed by a steel shortage during World War II. Conditions at the prison worsened through the years, and the facility would be ranked on the United States Department of Justice's Top Ten Most Violent Correctional Facilities list with instances of gambling, fighting, raping, and murder.From 1899 to 1959, ninety-four men were executed. Hanging was the method of execution until 1949 with eighty-five men meeting that fate. The public could attend hangings until 19 June 1931. On that date, Frank Hyer was executed for murdering his wife. However, when the trap door beneath him was opened and his full weight was put onto the noose, he was instantly decapitated. Following this event, attendance at hangings was by invitation only. Beginning in 1951, electrocution became the means of execution. Ironically, the electric chair, nicknamed 'Old Sparky', used by the prison was originally built by inmate Paul Glenn. Nine men died in the chair until the state outlawed execution entirely in 1965. The original chair is on display in the facility.With its violent past, deplorable conditions and two major riots, Moundsville Penitentiary is a popular destination for those who study paranormal activity. Some claim that the prison is plagued with what is called, residual hauntings, which are defined as a replay of tragic events from the past. |
| 撮影日 | 2009-08-09 01:32:15 |
| 撮影者 | Mike Tewkesbury |
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