Virginia State Penitentiary: A Notorious History

by Dale M. Brumfield, Evans D. Hopkins (Introduction)

Overview

Thomas Jefferson developed the idea for the Virginia State Penitentiary and set the standard for the future of the American prison system. The prison endured severe overcrowding, three fires, an earthquake and numerous riots.

Vice President Aaron Burr was incarcerated there in 1807 as he awaited trial for treason. More than 240 prisoners were executed there by electric chair. At one time, the ACLU called it the "most shameful prison in America." The institution was plagued by racial injustice, eugenics experiments and the presence of children imprisoned among adults. Join author Dale Brumfield as he charts the 190-year history of the iconic prison.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467137638
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	10/30/2017
Series:	Landmarks
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Dale M. Brumfield is an adjunct professor of English, a digital archaeologist and the author of eight books. His work appears regularly in numerous publications, including the Staunton News Leader, the Rappahannock Review, USA Today, North of the James, Richmond Magazine and Style Weekly. His two books, Richmond Independent Press: A History of the Underground Zine Scene and Independent Press in Virginia and D.C.: An Underground History, were both nominated for Library of Virginia Literary Awards in nonfiction. Dale Lives in Doswell, Virginia.

Table of Contents

Foreword Evans D. Hopkins 7

Author's Note 11

1 On the Possibility of Opening a Penitentiary-House 15

2 Growing Pains: 1805-1859 30

3 Corporal Punishments 56

4 "Bite and Be Damned": The Penitentiary and the American Civil War 62

5 The Black Codes and Legalized Slavery 66

6 "Let the Children Suffer" 86

7 Public Awareness and State Farms 97

8 Eugenics Cover-Up 102

9 The Electric Chair and Notable Penitentiary Electrocutions 117

10 Reform Years: 1920-1940 144

11 The Charge Against Flogging 150

12 The Powhatan Thirteen to the Martinsville Seven: Assembly-Line Execution 159

13 Great Escapes and Not-So-Great Attempts 169

14 Culture Inside the Pen: Sports, Art, Music, Theater and Literature 182

15 Reform, Legal Setbacks and a Major Inmate Victory: 1950s-1970s 196

16 Odd, Strange and Curious 215

17 Never Stomp the Kitten: 1978-1992 230

18 Fact Check: Separating Fact from Rumor at the Virginia Penitentiary 239

Bibliography 245

Index 259

About the Author 269

Editorial Reviews

"Two-years in the making, Dale Brumfield's latest book, Virginia State Penitentiary: A Notorious History, is undoubtedly the most thorough work of its kind on this defunct Richmond institution that had occupied the same spot on Spring Street for almost 200 years. Dale is thorough in his research, digs deep for data, excavates through layers of ancient papers like an archaeologist. In the bibliography there are more than 300 sources cited. But this is much more than a work of history.""

North of the James"

From the Publisher