Maine State Prison - History

History

In 1824, only four years after Maine broke off from Massachusetts and became its own state, the state legislature established the Maine State Prison in Thomaston (44°04′37″N 69°11′35″W / 44.077°N 69.193°W / 44.077; -69.193). The original layout of the prison "had underground cells – deep holes into which prisoners were lowered each night and brought up in the daytime to labor in the stone quarry on the prison property." In 1923 the prison was destroyed by a fire in which many inmates died. The old prison was replaced by a facility with two cellblocks. The cells were modeled on the Auburn System. There were long narrow hallways with very small cells — 7 ft × 6 ft (2.1 m × 1.8 m) each. The 1923 prison was very modern for the time and most things were performed by technology, like the locking and unlocking of doors.

The Maine State Prison had a farm several miles away where select prisoners worked. Most produce was used by the prison and not for sale. Other prisoners worked in carriage shops, harness shops, and in maintenance. In the summer of 1927 there were 197 white prisoners, three African American prisoners, and one prisoner of another race. The Maine state prison housed few females, who worked sewing and patching clothing. The women were relocated to the Women's Correctional Center in Skowhegan, Maine in 1935.