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The West Virginia Penitentiary is a gothic-style prison located in Moundsville, West Virginia. Now withdrawn and retired from prison use, it operated from 1866 to 1995. Currently, the site is maintained as a tourist attraction, museum, training facility, and filming location. [2]
Dec 14, 2010 · Discover West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, West Virginia: Beyond the usual stories that attend old prisons, this one has deep bloody undercurrents.
The West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, was the state's first penal institution, serving for 129 years until it closed in 1995. The period of significance for the penitentiary is from 1866 to 1939.
- The West Virginia State Penitentiary
- WV Penitentiary Resources at OCPL
- Resources at West Virginia State Archives
- Resources at The West Virginia University
The West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville, WV, is the oldest state penal institution and was in continuous use until 1995. The state of West Virginia was formed during the years of the Civil War, becoming the 35th state in 1863. At that time the county jails were sued for incarceration of prisoners. Beginning in 1864, the legislature dire...
*Please note: we do not have any physical records from the Penitentiary. If you are looking for resources on individual prisoner records, please see the resources below for the West Virginia State Archives (Charleston, WV) and West Virginia University(Morgantown).
State Government Records:
The State Archives has several collections that may contain information about prisoners.** (Click here to see the State Government Records Collections home page) ➤ Collection # AR-1804: Department of Corrections. Penitentiary records, ca. 1935-1953, 143 cu. ft. (see archivist for alphabetical list of prisoners' names for whom the State Archives hold records). ➤ Collection #: AR-1892:Corrections. Penitentiary prisoner records, including fingerprint cards, declaration cards, case files, list of...
State Archives Photo Collections:
(Click here to view the Photograph Collections home page) ➤ Collection # Ph2021-232: West Virginia State Penitentiary Collection (Photo negatives), ca. 1930s-1950s. Series 40: West Virginia Penitentiary records ➤ West Virginia Photos Database
State Archives Manuscript Collections:
(Click here to view the Manuscript Collections home page) ➤ Ms2004- 102: Johnson, Les. "Autobiography of Freeman Collins" (longest-serving inmate at Moundsville Penitentiary) (photocopies), literary mss, 1995. 1 item. ➤ Ms2006-100: Larner, John W. Collection. Information and notes on his research into West Virginia Penitentiary art, 1866-2004. Box 7, Manuscripts, 1 folder. ➤ Ms88-11: Penitentiary. Account of visit to Moundsville prison in 1898 (photocopy), ca. 1900. 1 item. ➤ Ms2004-107: West...
WVU Archives Collections:
➤ Martin Luther Brown, Warden, Penitentiary Records, circa 1910-1920 This collection includes letters from prisoners and approximately 30 digitized photographs of prison grounds and inmates and staff. ➤ Other WVU Archives catalog search results for WV Penitentiary
WVU Library Resources:
➤ Biennial and Annual Reports of the Directors of the Penitentiary at Moundsville, W. Va., 1886-1890, 1890-1892, 1922-1924, 1923, 1926, 1928, 1930-1934, 1933, 1933-1937, 1935, 1936-1939, 1939-1941 *NOTE: Biennial reports from 1900-1908 are available online through HaithiTrust. ➤ Pen Revue, programs from 1938 & 1948. The Pen Revue was an all-inmate staged and produced cast with proceeds donated toward the welfare of the inmate body. ➤ Work and Hope Magazine, May 1920 August 1926-1931 only. Wor...
The West Virginia State Penitentiary is a National Historic Landmark at Moundsville, West Virginia, in Marshall County. Built in 1866, this Gothic Revival fortress, the first penal institution in West Virginia, was established to help remove the burden of housing felons from county jails.
The West Virginia State Penitentiary was built on the edge of Moundsville in 1866, where it soon became surrounded by the town. The twenty-four foot stone walls created an impression of a stone Gothic fortress with the crenellated facade, and towers.
May 12, 2015 · Solitary-confinement cells at the West Virginia State Penitentiary, a retired, gothic-style prison in Moundsville, West Virginia, ... 1 photograph : digital, tiff file, color. Contributor: Highsmith, Carol M.
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