I have been researching Lorton Prison for a while. Lorton Prison was the "correctional facility" for the District of Columbia from about 1907 until it was closed in 2001. The prison covers 2400 acres of land and for much of the time it was operational the prison was a working farm. The prison started as tents and temporary wooden structures. The prisoners made bricks in kilns located next to the Occoquan River at the south edge of the property. Everything you see today is constructed with brick - the prisoners toiled daily to make the very bricks that sealed out their freedom. The prison eventually incorporated a dairy farm, an internal railroad system, a slaughterhouse, and several crop processing plants.
After reading about the prison and seeing some of the buildings while riding along mountain bike trails that have been created on the former prison grounds, I decided to explore the old prison grounds. The first step was to chat with the security guard that was patrolling the property - I didn't want to trespass and find myself locked on the wrong side of the bars! After making sure things were cool with Barney, I set out to look around.
These towers are scattered all over the property. There doesn't seem to be a pattern to where each tower is located. There might be one here, another over there, and then three real close together way over there. Regardless of the locations, the guards probably had great views of all of the property.
This appears to be one of the old administrative office buildings. It is located outside of the fence and only the widows were barred. All of the vents, drains, and other opening were 'normal'.
All of the buildings look the same. Once they found a blueprint that worked they stuck with it!
Old and new.
These locks secured the only door - in fact the only opening of any kind - in a brick wall that was twenty feet high and several hundred feet long.
I believe this is one of the houses that the first wardens lived in.
Everything you see has bars.
I told you EVERYTHING has bars!
There were benefits to being the CHIEF TELE HONE OPERATOR,
namely a reserved parking place.
The minimum security chapel.
What's this? An escape route?
No, merely a three foot deep cistern that housed a junction for old drain lines.
This is one of the vehicle traps used for the transfer of inmates. No fewer than three towers and five layers of fence stand between the inside yard and freedom.
Most of the smaller buildings had slate roofs. The larger prison cell dorms were converted to asphalt shingle.
A long time go these metal surrounds were installed in an attempt to stop the brick arches from crumbling.
This brick fence and surround is hidden in the woods near what looks to have been the warden's house. I think this used to be the welcome garden for the warden's house as there is an very old road bed leading through the woods to the base of the stairs.
Just on the other side of this sign is a forty foot drop. True to the nature of the Government, the printed side of the sign (readable from the impassable cliff side) says "NO Trespassing, US Government Property".
Several of the old prison buildings were re-purposed into studios for local artists. The buildings were cleaned up and divided into small work centers and galleries where artists can create and display their works. The studios are usually open for the public to visit, ask the artists questions, or purchase art.
In addition to the art studios the Workhouse Center houses a small prison museum. I had a LONG conversation with the very sweet (and possibly totally crazy) woman that volunteered at the museum. I'm guessing she doesn't get a lot of visitors...
This is a book from 1914 used to record the numbers of prisoners taken in or released from Lorton Prison that year.
A model house made by inmates using matchsticks.
Pottery mask made by a local artist. Most of the artists displayed signs requesting that photographs not be taken. Booo. There were a whole bunch of cool things I would have loved to take pictures of!
