Folsom State Prison

As of early 2013, Folsom Prison, one of America's most famous penal institutions (thanks to a song of that name performed by country singer Johnny... more

by Mountain Dreams

Title

Folsom State Prison

Artist

Mountain Dreams

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

As of early 2013, Folsom Prison, one of America's most famous penal institutions (thanks to a song of that name performed by country singer Johnny Cash), was still holding inmates.

Folsom State Prison is a California State Prison located 20 miles (32 km) northeast of the state capital of Sacramento. Opened in 1880, Folsom is the second-oldest prison in the state (after after San Quentin) and was the first in the country to have electricity.

Folsom was one of the nation's first maximum security prisons, and as such witnessed the execution, by hanging, of 93 condemned prisoners over a 42-year period. It is possibly best known in popular culture for two concerts performed at the facility by Cash in the late 1960s.

Construction of the facility, long known for its harsh conditions, began in 1878 on the site of the Stony Bar mining camp along the American River. The prison officially opened in 1880. Folsom was built to hold 1,800 inmates. Inmates spent most of their time in the dark behind solid boilerplate doors in stone cells measuring 4 feet by 8 feet (1.2 by 2.4 m) with 6 inch (150 mm) eye slots. Air holes were drilled into the cell doors in the 1940s, and the cell doors are still in use today.

FSP was the first prison in the world to have electric power, which was provided by the first hydroelectric powerhouse in California.

Uploaded

May 4th, 2015