Inside The Jackson State Prisons
The original Michigan State Prison a/k/a Jackson State Prison, began as a wooden fort in 1839 with 35 inmates.
The first permanent prison was constructed in 1842 and 84 years later, in 1926, the prison was relocated to a new building on Cooper Street (M-106), and became the largest walled prison in the world.
Known to this day as Michigan State Prison or Jackson State Prison, it was named in 1935 'State Prison of Southern Michigan'.
In 1988, the prison was divided into separate facilities. The Southern Michigan Correctional Facility was closed on November 17, 2007, even though much of it is still operational.
Cell Block 7 was turned into a museum and was open for tours...it is now closed.
The original 1842 site was used as a Michigan National Guard armory, which was turned into a place where teens and young adults could enjoy their favorite rock bands. Many rock concerts were held there throughout the 1960s (I went to & performed at many of those myself). Currently the site has apartments and art galleries.
In the gallery below are photos of the old and new prisons. See if you can tell them apart...
Inside Jackson State Prisons: Old & New
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