Thursday, December 13, 2012
Joliet Maximum-Security Prison was opened in the mid-1800's. It was constructed through the use of convict labor. In the 1860's, it housed prisoners of the Civil War. By the late 1800's, it was the largest single prison in the U.S.
In the early 1900's, one of the inmates murdered the then-currrent warden's wife and lit their house on fire with her inside.
In the mid-1970's, one of the cell blocks was taken over by gangs which held several correctional officers hostage. One inmate was killed during this riot.
The prison (which was a fully self-sustained facility, providing its own water and electricity) employed inmates in the manufacturing of goods and equipment for use at other correctional centers, mental health facilities and state universities. Additional "computer input" training was also later offered for the inmates, a program which was designed to serve the state government. Prison labor was limited early on to state institutions so as to not compete with wage labor in the open market.
Despite being labeled "obsolete" as early as the 1920s, this prison remained active for nearly 150 years, before finally closing in the early 2000's.
This visit occurred long before any such thing existed but now you can get tours of this location and that is awesome. I wish more historic locations were so lucky. Check out their site here and go see Joliet Prison for yourself!
Historic Photos of Joliet Prison
End Historic Photos
Monday, March 21, 2011
"Cairo was founded by the Cairo City & Canal Company in 1837, and incorporated as a city in 1858. For fifteen years, the town grew slowly, but the sale of lots (commencing in 1853) and the completion of the Illinois Central Railroad attracted settlers and merchants. By 1860, the population exceeded 2,000.
During the American Civil War, Cairo was a strategically important supply base and training center for the Union army. For several months, both General Grant and Admiral Foote had headquarters in the town." -Wikipedia
At its peak, Cairo was a thriving community with around 17,500 inhabitants. There is a lot of interesting and historic architecture throughout the town indicating the prosperity once enjoyed here. Cario, however, has a turbulent history especially in regards to racial issues. Race relations were tense as early as 1909, when the lynchings of two black men took place (both accused of murder) in a town with a rather large black population. Eventually, the civil rights movement in the 60's reached Cairo: "On July 16, 1967, Robert Hunt, a 19-year-old black soldier home on leave, was found hanged in the Cairo police station. Police reported that Hunt had hanged himself with his t-shirt, but many members of the black community of Cairo accused the police of murder" (wikipedia) This sparked riots which resulted in several buildings being burned to the ground. These events, combined with economic woes, precipitated the exodus of most of the towns inhabitants. It is certainly evident that this town has been in steady decline since then. Storefronts are in disrepair and the streets are eerily quiet.
Since this blog post was first published, Cairo has demolished just about everything of interest that was old and not currently inhabited. I believe I counted 19 individual structures reduced to rubble and vacant lots on a recent visit confirmed in photos from my previous trip. RIP to both the structures that have been demolished and to whatever tourism Cairo may have briefly enjoyed which was a direct result of those structures' existence.
This post is a celebration of Cairo's rich architectural history. Much of what you see below, however, is gone now..
This was essentially "Main Street" (aka Commercial Ave). Now gone:
Benevolent Protective Order of Elks Lodge 651:
The Gem Theater was originally constructed in 1910 and could seat almost 700 people. At some point, it was gutted by fire and rebuilt. It closed in 1978. Preservation attempts started a few years ago and soon stalled.
The Southern Medical Center, originally St. Mary's Hospital, opened in 1958. It closed in the mid-1980s.
The Church:
Old Warehouse:
Cement Plant:
Train Car:
Miscellaneous:
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