Alton Military Prison Site - Alton, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 38° 53.479 W 090° 11.373
15S E 743754 N 4308471
Historic Civil War era prison site located in Alton, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WMRHC
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 09/26/2006
Views: 15
Constructed
in 1830-31 the Illinois State Penitentiary in Alton was persistently criticized
for its unsanitary conditions by Dorothea Dix, a pioneer in prison reform. The
prison was closed in 1860 when the last prisoners were transferred to the new
state penitentiary in Joliet. With the advent of the Civil War, the prison was
reopened as the Alton Federal Military Prison. The prison was used to
incarcerate Confederate prisoners with the first prisoners to arrive February 9,
1862. Over the next three years over 11,764 Confederate prisoners would enter
the prison. The conditions at the prison were harsh and deaths averaged six to
ten a day. The prison was again closed July 7, 1865. Currently only one short
stone wall of the prison remain on site.
Street address:
Broadway and Williams Streets
Alton, Illinois
County / Borough / Parish: Madison
Year listed: 1974
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Information Potential
Periods of significance: 1825-1924
Historic function: Government - Correctional Facility
Current function: Landscape
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.