A Visit to the Ohio State Prison
in 1837
Edited by MERTON L. DILLON*
ONE OF THE MANY SOCIAL PROBLEMS that demanded so-
lution in the early nineteenth century
was how best to deal
with convicted criminals. The answer
provided by the system
inaugurated in 1823 at the state prison
at Auburn, New York,
enjoyed great vogue among penal
reformers and set the
fashion in American prison
administration for the next half
century. The Auburn system required the
isolation of prison-
ers in small, individual cells at
night, congregate work in
prison shops by day, enforced silence
at all times, and com-
plete isolation from contact with the
outer world. Advocates
of these arrangements urged in their
favor the prophylactic
effect of silence and isolation and the
economic utility of
communal labor. So attractive did the plan appear that
twenty-
three states followed it in
constructing their own state prisons.
When Ohio undertook the construction of
its new prison at
Columbus, the authorities decided to
follow the Auburn sys-
tem, which by that time had been
operating successfully for
a decade. The first group of two
hundred cells was ready for
occupancy in 1834 while work continued
on the remaining
five hundred units. Under the Auburn
plan the curious might
secure admission to the institution and
observe the inmates
without themselves being seen. Thus, in
1837 Clark Guernsey,
a young printer from Pennsylvania,
visited the still uncom-
pleted prison as a part of the
itinerary of his tour of the Ohio
River Valley. Guernsey's impressions of
conditions inside the
* Merton L. Dillon is associate
professor of history at Texas Technological
College.
70 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Ohio state prison are taken from his
journals, four bound
manuscript volumes, which remain in
private possession.
On Tuesday, the 7th of March [1837],
having a few hours of time to
spare, I concluded to visit the Ohio
penitentiary. The building stands
about a quarter of a mile north west of
the city, upon a level piece of
ground, and near the bank of the river,
on the east side, above the bridge.
It is built mostly of limestone--is three
stories high and about four
hundred feet in length, in front, and
extends about the same distance
back, including the wall. The centre of
the building is occupied as a
dwelling for the keeper and other
officers, and contains the offices. This
is built of free-stone. On each side of
this is one wing, which contains
the cells. The walls enclose the yard
containing the work-shops. The
whole of the premises covers ground to
the extent of six square acres.
We entered the centre building--passed
through the office, into the
guard room--and, accompanied by an
officer, started upon our walk
through the prison. Passing through an
iron door of immense weight,
we turned to the right, and came into
the east wing, which contains the
sleeping apartments of the prisoners.
There are five stories of cells,
surrounded on every side by a hall eight
or ten feet wide, enclosed by a
thick stone wall, which reaches to the
roof, and upon which the roof
rests. This wall has windows
corresponding with the doors of the cells
in each story. The cells are about eight
feet long, three feet wide, and
six feet high, arched over-head. Each
one has an iron door, opening on
the outside, with holes in them large
enough to admit fresh air; and are
furnished with a hammock, and one or
more blankets, as the tempera-
ture of the weather requires. Every
thing about the cells is arranged
with such neatness and regularity, as to
promote health and comfort.
From this we turned to the left, and
passed along the work-shops. They
extend along the eastern and northern
sides of the yard, those in each
apartment occupied in making different
kinds of materials.
The visitor is not allowed to enter the
shops; but looks through small
holes in the partitions, made expressly
for the purpose.
The first shop in rotation contained
boot and shoe-makers. In the next
they were principally engaged in making
the wood work to saddle-trees.
In the next they were manufacturing
trimmings for coaches and carri-
ages--some spinning the yarn, some
quilling it--while others were
weaving it into the different widths and
figures required. I saw a speci-
men of their manufacture, which was
indeed ingeniously done; and re-
flect much credit to the overseers.
We next passed through the mess-room,
where several long boards are
fixed up just high enough for tables,
with seats extending the whole
length of each. A trencher, and a knife
and fork for every prisoner, are
THE OHIO STATE PRISON IN 1837 71
laid upon these boards; and on the left
side of each trencher are placed
one large and one small piece of coarse
corn bread. The other victuals
are furnished when they sit down to
their meals.
Whenever the bell rings, the prisoners
leave their work instantly, and,
forming themselves into lines, march
with the lock step to the table or to
their cells; and in returning, perform
the same operations, until they
reach their destination, when they disperse,
and each one pursues his
labor as before.
While eating, or at work, they are not
allowed to exchange a word, or
even to look at one another, under any
circumstance whatever; and
when they are in want of anything they
must make it known to their
overseers.
The kitchen and bake-room adjoin the
mess-room on the north, all
situated on the ground floor. The shop
for tailors is over these rooms,
and is sometimes used as a summer
hospital.
The next and corner room is occupied by
blacksmiths, and those also
who make cutlery, &c. The first room
on the north side contains car-
penters; and coopers; the last shop is
larger and more open than any of
the rest, and contains stone cutters.
The yard was strewed with lumber,
stones, and bricks, and other ma-
terials for building, which did not add
to its beauty; but there will
probably be more neatness and regularity
when the prison is completed.
The west wing of the prison was not
finished; but workmen were en-
gaged upon it, and [it] was calculated
to have been finished the ensuing
summer.
The number of prisoners at this time
amounted to three hundred and
eight. There are three hundred cells in
each wing besides several in a
building adjoining the easterly wing. Of
the number of prisoners which
I saw, nearly all of them were hearty
and robust men; and some whose
appearance indicated high and noble
minds--but there were many in
whose countenances could be detected a
guilty conscience; and a stub-
born and unfeeling disposition.
O what a disgrace to mankind--what a
weakness in human nature, to
see healthy and able-bodied men by their
own actions brought to this
state of degradation! How heart-rending,
how disgusting to behold
persons, who might still be enjoying the
blessings of a free country,
chained within those massive walls, cut
off entirely from a knowledge of
what is passing without, laboring like
slaves in the day time, and locked
in a dismal cell at night! Poor,
degraded creatures! They are indeed to
be pitied in their present condition,
while they are despised for their past
conduct. Their passions have over
powered their discretion, and they
are now to suffer the punishment of a rash nature, and
an ungovernable
temper.
72 THE OHIO HISTORICAL QUARTERLY
Who does not hope--but who can
predict--that the time will come,
when there shall be no need of
institutions like this?
I spent an hour or two in the prison,
and was fully convinced that
rules of the prison as established by
the Legislature, were promptly en-
forced, and the duties ably discharged,
on the part of the officers.