Inside an Abandoned Prison: Joliet Correctional Center

The beautiful neo-Gothic prison compound of Joliet Correctional Center stands abandoned and decaying after operating for nearly a century and a half.

After a stroll through the legendary ruins of Joliet Iron Works, I headed to the massive walled-off prison compound that lies just north of the abandoned steel mill.

Surrounded by 25-foot-high limestone walls topped with razor wire, Joliet Correctional Center covers 20 acres of land. The once self-sustaining compound consists of 24 buildings, including guard towers, cell blocks, administration buildings, light industrial facilities, a hospital, laundry, cafeteria, chapel and gymnasium. After years of neglect and vandalism, many of the structures are severly deteriorated.

Thick blankets of ivy cover the walls and fences. The grounds are overgrown with weeds that have pushed up through the cracked pavement.

The prison compound itself is not open to the public, but the parking lot has been transformed into the Old Joliet Prison Park. Visitors can enjoy a view of the castle-like main structure and read about the prison's history on a handful of informational signs.

Fortunately I was able to convince a friend of a friend who worked for the City of Joliet to grant me limited access to the administration building.

I was in awe from the moment I stepped inside. With elegant arched doorways and ornate wrought iron staircases, it looked nothing like how I imagined the interior of an old prison. 

Some of the rooms even had marble fireplaces.

It was strange to see such beauty juxtaposed with the stark iron bars that separated it from the inmate areas.

Joliet Correctional Center opened in 1858, originally built to replace Illinois State Prison in Alton. Inmates were brought in from Alton to build the new prison, using limestone that was quarried on site.

By the late 1800s, the prison population had grown to a record-breaking high of 1239. In addition to overcrowding and concerns over the compound's aging infrastructure, exhaust from the nearby Joliet Steel mill was becoming a problem. Smoke often rolled in and covered the prison grounds in a thick haze, causing health problems for inmates and prison staff. One warden even resigned and moved away due to health concerns.

In 1910, the prison commissioners decided the facility needed to be replaced. Stateville Penitentiary opened in 1925, intended to replace it, but Joliet Prison remained open.

The facility has held quite a few notable inmates, including prisoners of war during the Civil War. The infamous murderers Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were incarcerated there. Serial killer John Wayne Gacy also spent time in Joliet Prison before being sent to Stateville Correctional Center.

Joliet Correctional Center has been featured in several movies, including The Blues Brothers and Let's Go to Prison. Since its abandonment, it served as the setting for Season One of the T.V. show Prison Break and an episode of Bones.

The prison was also mentioned in songs, including "Percy's Song" by Bob Dylan, "Joliet Bound" by Memphis Minnie, and "Lincoln Park Pirates" by Steve Goodman.

Joliet Correctional Center closed in 2002 due to budget cuts and the aging of its buildings. Most of the inmates and employees were transferred to Stateville Correctional Center.

Redevelopment plans for the site are still in the works. The Joliet Area Historical Museum wishes to preserve the prison and open it for tours, though developers have submitted other plans that would require demolition of many of the historic structures. 

I only got to see a small portion of the massive facility during my visit, but I hope to return one day if/when the grounds have been opened to the public.

Grateful for the opportunity to explore such a unique site, I said goodbye to Joliet and continued eastward on my Epic Rust Belt Road Trip. 

Next stop: an abandoned power plant. 

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Into the Rust Belt: The Legendary Ruins of Joliet Iron Works

Joliet Iron and Steel Works, once the second largest steel mill in the United States, is now a vast network of crumbling ruins.When I finished admiring the towering industrial ruins of Lehigh Portland Cement Company in Oglesby, Illinois, I continued toward Joliet, the westernmost city of the Rust Belt.

Along the way, I took a quick detour in the city of Morris to check out a complex of beautiful old brick buildings that once housed Gebhard Brewery.

Louis Gebhard, a German immigrant, founded Gebhard Brewery in 1866. His son William eventually took over and greatly expanded the business. Before long, their brew was known and loved throughout the state. He added a bottling plant in 1888, the seven-story brew house in 1896, and a stock house in 1904. William's son Fred joined the business in 1912, carrying his grandfather's legacy into a third generation of Gebhards.

The business was forced to close in January of 1920 when prohibition went into effect. The brew house was later converted into a flour mill. Morris Milling Company operated there from 1935 to 1958.

In 1946 the bottling plant building became the home of Lindsay Light and Mantel Company, which produced mantels for lamps and lanterns. The business thrived for nearly half a century before finally closing in the early 1990s.

The beautiful old brick buildings now sit vacant. I hoped to take a peek inside, but was disappointed to find them fenced off with a No Trespassing sign. I snapped a few photos of the exterior and got back on the road.

On my way through Plainfield, Illinois, I stopped to photograph a neat old Public Service Company building.

I rolled into Joliet, Illinois on Day 9 of the Epic Rust Belt Road Trip. I had finally reached America's infamous Rust Belt.

Since leaving Los Angeles, I had driven through the American West, the Rocky Mountains, and the Great Plains, spending a day or two in each state and exploring dozens of abandoned places along the way. I could hardly wait to catch my first glimpse of the mighty industrial ruins of the former Manufacturing Belt.

Joliet Steel and Iron Works, once the second largest steel mill in the US, was a paragon of American industry. The rails produced there were instrumental in the expansion of the nation's railroad infrastructure. It was strange to realize that the tiny railroad towns I had passed through on my way across the Heartland owed their existence to this steel mill.

Joliet Iron Works opened in 1869, only a few years after the end of the Civil War. Over time, ownership of the mill passed between various steel conglomerates including Illinois Steel Company, Federal Steel, and U.S. Steel.

In its early years, the iron works employed many immigrants from Southern and Eastern Europe. The job was tough and workers had to endure hazards such as extreme heat, toxic fumes, and dangerous falls. Injuries and deaths were not uncommon.

The iron works closed in 1936 due to decreased profitability, but the steel works continued to operate throughout most of the 20th century. New structures were added over the ensuing decades, including the Nail Department, the Fence and Barbed Wire Department, the Annealing and Galvanizing Department, and a massive warehouse.

Various portions of the plant closed throughout the 1970s and operations ceased entirely in the early 1980s.

In the 1990s, the Forest Preserve District of Will County created the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site. A mile-long walking path leads through the ruins of the iron works, marked with signs that explain the significance of the various portions of the mill and the functions of the equipment that once stood there.

Across the railroad tracks from the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site, the structures of the steel works remain abandoned and rusting. Unfortunately they are off-limits to the public.

Farther down the tracks the solemn guard towers of Joliet Correctional Center peek up over the tree line. The abandoned prison was my next stop. I was completely unprepared for how awesome it was. Click here to check out the article.

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