Old West Virginia Penitentiary
Moundsville, WV
USA
The prison at Joliet provided the prototype for the West Virginia Penitentiary. It was an imposing stone structure fashioned in the castellated Gothic architectural style. Only the dimensions of West Virginia's facility would differ; it would be approximately one-half the size of Joliet. The first phase of the West Virginia Penitentiary was completed in 1876 at a total cost of $363,061. After 110 years of use, the West Virginia Supreme Court handed down the decision that the penitentiary was to be closed by July, 1992. The prison was closed in 1995 in favor of a modern facility, the Mt. Olive Correctional Center in Fayette County.
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