Ohio Penitentiary photograph   Save
F. & R. Lazarus Photograph Collection
Description: Photograph showing prisoners in formation at the Ohio Penitentiary in Columbus, Ohio, ca. 1860. The Ohio Penitentiary opened on Spring Street in 1834, and continued to house prisoners until 1979. The state had built a small prison in Columbus in 1813, but as the state's population grew, the earlier facility was not unable to handle the volume of prisoners sentenced by the courts. The Ohio Penitentiary in the nineteenth century reflected the common belief that prison was more for punishment than for rehabilitation. Conditions within the prison were primitive. Prisoners first slept on straw mattresses, although eventually beds were built. Food was very simple, usually consisting of cornbread, beans, and bacon. Prisoners were required to work in one of the prison industries, which made everything from harnesses and shoes to barrels and brooms. This image comes from a collection assembled in March 1929 by the F. & R. Lazarus Company to mark its 78th anniversary. The photographs and materials assembled in a scrapbook represented the origins and growth of Columbus since 1803. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: P92_B01_F04_58
Subjects: Columbus (Ohio)--History--19th century; Ohio Penitentiary (Columbus, Ohio); Ohio History--State and Local Government--Corrections; Prisoners and prisons;
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)