The Cleveland workhouse was constructed over forty years ago on the old
lines for 500 prisoners, two miles from the centre of the city. In 1904
and 1905, about 750 acres were purchased by the city nine miles from
its centre. Upon this land building was commenced several years later.
Thus far there is built only the “service building” which at present
fulfills all purposes. Ultimately, it is to be used for storerooms,
and shops. There are also to be built dormitories for trusties and
semi-trusties, cell-blocks for the least tractable, kitchens, dining
rooms, a chapel, women’s industrial building, school building and a
greenhouse, all within a high wall enclosing eleven acres. The present
intention is that the buildings and wall shall be constructed by the
labor of inmates. Unfortunately there are no funds in sight to proceed
with this construction.
All commitments are made to the original workhouse in the city. There
the women remain, but about two-fifths of the men are transferred to
the correction farm. On a recent day the 102 men at the correction
farm were assigned to work as follows: on construction of the sewage
disposal plant, 24; in the stone quarry, 7; on the farm, 10; in the
garden, 7; driving teams (working the farm and hauling material to
the filter bed), 12; care of horses and stock, 10; to work on the
adjoining infirmary farm, 10; firemen, 2; carpenter, 1; barber, 1; and
in the preparation and serving of the meals and care of the buildings
and grounds, 18. Some of these last eighteen are unable to do heavy
work, but all have fresh air and sunshine daily. At other times men
do concreting, making artificial stone, fertilize and drain the land,
which is not fertile, make roads on the farm and later they will
construct the wall and buildings, plant trees and perform every sort of
labor that will develop the land, and cause it to be highly productive
and attractive in appearance. I also hope that later they will make and
repair the needed wagons, tools and all the smaller farm implements; in
fact they now do some of that work, especially the repairing.
An apple orchard and much small fruit have just been planted under the
direction of the state agricultural department. Last year by attention
to pruning, spraying and smudge fires on cold nights, ours was one of
the few orchards bearing fruit in all that region. Bee culture will
be introduced and scientific forestation is to be developed. We are
about to construct a dairy barn entirely by prison labor, that will be
a model of simplicity, sanitary construction and efficiency for the
neighboring country.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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