West Virginia State Penitentiary
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 The main entrance on Jefferson Ave. |
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| Location: | Moundsville, West Virginia |
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| Years of Prison Operation: | 1876 - 1995 |
| Official Site: | wvpentours.com |
| Phone Number: | 304-845-6200 |
The West Virginia State Penitentiary is a retired, Gothic style prison located in Moundsville, West Virginia. It operated from 1876 to 1995. Currently, the site is maintained as a tourist attraction and training facility.[1]
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[edit] Design
The West Virginia State Penitentiary's design is similar to the facility at Joliet with its castellated Gothic, stone structure, complete with turrets and battlements, except only half the size. Unfortunately, the original architectural designs have been lost. The dimensions of the parallelogram-shaped prison yard are 82½ feet in length, by 352½ feet in width. The stone walls are 5 feet (1.5 m) thick at the base, tapering to 2½ feet at the top, with foundations 5 feet (1.5 m) deep. The center tower section is 682 feet (208 m) long. It lies at the western side of the complex along Jefferson Avenue and is considered the front, as this is where the main entrance is located. The walls here are 24 feet (7.3 m) high and 6 feet (1.8 m) wide at the base, tapering to 18 inches (460 mm) towards the top.[1]
[edit] History
[edit] Founding
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. In 1866, the state legislature approved the purchase of land in Moundsville for the purpose of constructing a state prison. Moundsville proved an attractive site, as it is approximately twelve miles south of Wheeling, West Virginia, which at that time was the state capital.[1]
The first building constructed on the site was the North Wagon Gate. 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 this first phase until 1876. When completed, the total cost was of $363,061. In addition to the North Wagon Gate, there was now north and south cellblock areas, an administration building, and personal living quarters for the warden and his family in the center, 4-story, tower section. 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.[1]
[edit] Operation
In addition to construction, the inmates had other jobs to do in support of the prison. In the early 1900s some industries within the prison walls included a carpentry shop, a paint shop, a wagon shop, a stone yard, a brickyard, a blacksmith, a tailor, a bakery, and a hospital. At the same time, revenue from the prison farm and inmate labor helped the prison financially. It was virtually self-sufficient. A prison coal mine located a mile away opened in 1921. This mine helped serve some of the prison's energy needs and saved the state an estimated $14,000 a year. Some inmates were allowed to stay at the mine's camp under the supervision of a mine foreman, who was not a prison employee.[1]
Conditions at the prison during the turn of the 20th century were good, according to a warden's report, which stated that, "both the quantity and the quality of all the purchases of material, food and clothing have been very gradually, but steadily, improved, while the discipline has become more nearly perfect and the exaction of labor less stringent." Education was a priority for the inmates during this time. They regularly attended class. Construction on a school and library was completed in 1900 to help reform and educate inmates.[1]
Eugene V. Debs served time here from April 13 to June 14, 1919 (at which time he was transferred to an Atlanta prison) for violating the Espionage Act of 1917.
In 1929, the state decided to double the size of the penitentiary because overcrowding was a problem. The 5 x 7-foot (2.1 m) cells were too small to hold three prisoners at a time, but until the expansion there was no other option. 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.[1]
[edit] 1986 Riot
January 1, 1986 was not only the beginning of a new year, but also the date of one of the most famous riots in recent history. The West Virginia Penitentiary was then undergoing many changes and problems. Security had become extremely loose in all areas. Since it was a "cons" prison, most of the locks on the cells had been picked and inmates roamed the halls freely. Bad plumbing and insects caused rapid spreading of various diseases. The prison was now holding more than 2,000 men and crowding became an issue once again. Another major contribution to the riot's cause was the fact that it was a holiday. Many of the guards had called off work, which fueled the prisoners to conduct their plan on this specific day.
At around 5:30 pm, twenty inmates, known as a group called the Avengers, stormed the mess hall as Captain Glassock was on duty. "Within seconds, he (Captain Glassock), five other guards, and a food service worker were tackled and slammed to the floor. Inmates put knives to their throats and handcuffed them with their own handcuffs."[2] Even though several hostages were taken throughout the day, none of them were seriously injured. However, over the course of the two-day upheaval, three inmates were slaughtered for an assortment of reasons. "The inmates who initiated the riot were not prepared to take charge of it. Danny Lehman, the Avengers' president, was quickly agreed upon as best suited for the task of negotiating with authorities and presenting the demands to the media."[2] Yet, Lehman was not a part of the twenty men who began the riot. Governor Arch A. Moore, Jr. was sent to the penitentiary to converse with the inmates. This meeting set up a new list of rules and standards on which the prison would build. National and local news covered the story, as well as the inmates meeting with Governor Moore.
[edit] Decommissioning
Towards the end of its life as a prison, the facility was marked with many instances of riots and escapes. In the 1960s, the prison reached a peak population of about 2,000 inmates. With the building of more prisons, that number declined to 600 - 700 inmates by 1995. The fate of the prison was sealed in a 1986 ruling by the West Virginia Supreme Court. The court ruled that the 5 x 7-foot (2.1 m) cells were cruel and unusual punishment. Within nine years, the West Virginia State Penitentiary was closed as a prison. Most of the inmates were transferred to the Mt. Olive Correctional Complex in Fayette County, West Virginia. A smaller correctional facility was built a mile away in Moundsville to serve as a regional jail.[1]
[edit] Executions
From 1899 to 1959, ninety-four men were executed. Hanging was the method of execution until 1949 with eighty-five men meeting that fate. Beginning in 1951, electrocution became the means of execution. Ironically, the electric chair used by the prison was originally built by an inmate there. Nine men died in the chair until the state outlawed execution entirely in 1959. The original chair is on display in the facility and is a part of the official tour.[1]
[edit] Tourism and Training
After the prison closed its doors as a state institution, the Moundsville Economic Development Council obtained a twenty-five year lease on the complex. Tours are available for tourists wishing to see the prison. A haunted attraction is also set up for the Halloween season titled the "Dungeon of Horrors". The Elizabethtown Festival is held every May to celebrate and remember historic Moundsville. The facility is also used for training criminal justice professionals with regular mock-riot drills.[1]
[edit] In Pop Culture
The prison has appeared in various books, movies, and television shows. Moundsville native Davis Grubb set his 1953 novel The Night of the Hunter in Moundsville with the prison having a notable role. This novel was adapted into a film by Charles Laughton and James Agee. The film The Night of the Hunter starred Robert Mitchum and Shelley Winters. Davis Grubb also set his novel Fools' Parade (also known as Dynamite Man from Glory Jail) in Moundsville with the penitentiary serving a notable role here too. The novel was adapted into the 1971 film, Fools' Parade, starring James Stewart, Kurt Russell, and George Kennedy.
More recently, MTV debuted a show in 2000 named Fear. The first episode had a small number of young adults spending the night in the penitentiary, attempting to document any paranormal activities. The Sci Fi Channel's show Ghost Hunters also visited the location in episode 303, which originally aired on October 25, 2006. ABC Family’s Scariest Places On Earth featured the Penitentiary on October 29, 2006. This show allowed six college students to experience the so-called “haunted prison” for themselves.
