Lorton Reformatory
This project was the culmination of my Intermediate Digital Photography class during the spring of 2017. I compiled a written history of the Lorton Reformatory, a landmark in my hometown, to accompany the photo series I captured during a tour of the facility before it was renovated.
 trash in the corner |  windows in d-hall |  sanitation is our motto |
|---|---|---|
 wash hands after use |  yellow light |  dining hall |
 hotline |  REWARD crime solvers |  prisoner manifest |
 red electric |  in case of fire |  cells |
 for your sanity |  catwalk |  cell controls |
 shape up |  sunlight |
The high school I attended is built on ground that used to belong to a prison. In fact, most of my hometown has been constructed, or is being constructed, on land that once housed prisoners. The Lorton Reformatory closed its doors in 2001 when the last prisoners were transferred elsewhere. Since then, a majority of the old buildings have been leveled or repurposed, and the ones that remain untouched are federal property. So - naturally - sneaking into the prison became a rite of passage in our town.
In January, the county finalized their plans to turn the last of the original buildings into apartments; they'll be constructing a new, ritzy, hipster neighborhood on what remains of the original prison grounds. I was terribly disheartened when I heard the news. The generations of angst-riddled high schoolers to come would never experience the eerie rush of hopping the fence and roaming the silent halls. So I set out on a mission… there was no way to defend the prisons' physical buildings, so I’d preserve its history in the next best way: through photographs.
My younger brother and I emailed a series of county officials until we found a woman who could get us into the prison – she agreed to show us the dining hall, some administrative offices, and the maximum-security facility. She had a wealth of knowledge about the history of the prison and the prison land. After our trip to the prison, I did some more research on my own. This digital portfolio is a compilation of the photographs that I took and the historical information that I gathered.
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Early 1900's
In 1908, Teddy Roosevelt formed a special Penal Commission to look into the deplorable conditions of the District of Columbia's jail and workhouse in Washington. The commission recommended a complete change in philosophy and treatment of the prisoners, and the Lorton Reformatory was built in 1910 to serve this need.
The Reformatory, also known as the Occoquan Workhouse, began as a working prison - an 'industrial farm.' The goal was to "rehabilitate and reform prisoners through fresh air, good food, and honest work." The first prisoners stayed in tents while they constructed the prisons actual buildings from bricks they manufactured at an on-site kiln complex.
1917 & The Night of Terror
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed women the right to vote - in the years leading up to this amendment's ratification, women across the nation rallied support and built momentum for suffrage, and at no small cost. Notable among these suffragists were the Silent Sentinels, led by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. In 1918, they met with President Woodrow Wilson who instructed them to "concert public opinion on behalf of women's suffrage." Consequently, the women protested outside the White House for 6 days a week holding signs with messages like "Democracy Should Begin at Home." In 1917, 33 of these women (including Lucy Burns and Alice Paul) were arrested and held in the medium security facility at the Lorton Workhouse. There they would endure what became known as the 'Night of Terror.' The women were brutally tortured and beaten by the workhouse guards. In the wake of a hunger strike, Alice Paul was force-fed raw eggs through a metal tube. The events inspired the 2004 film Iron Jawed Angels which features Hilary Swank and Patrick Dempsey.
1930's - 1950's
The maximum security facility - the spot that I visited - was built in the 1930's, again with bricks made by the prisoners. The facility encompassed 10 acres and housed the more hardened criminals. The prison complex eventually grew in size to more than 3200 acres and included a penitentiary and reformatory as well as a youth facility.
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In the 1950's, at the beginning of the Cold War, Lorton was chosen to house the nations' NIKE missile complex. Project NIKE was devised in order to rival the new jet aircrafts of the German military. The Lorton Workhouse remained the site of a missile bunker until 1974.
1990's - 2001
By 1995, the Lorton Complex housed at least 7300 inmates - 54% above the capacity. The District of Columbia lacked the funds needed to construct housing for the rapidly growing prison population and struggled to maintain the facilities with adequate staffing. From the 1990's on, conditions in the prison deteriorated. The Districts inability to financially support operations at the prison took an intense toll on prisoners and guards alike. The prison was overcrowded, the prisoners were violent, and Lorton became infamously known for its deplorable conditions. Between 1990 and 1994, Lorton guards were attacked by prisons 379 times. However, corruption was rampant on both sides of the bars... guards were convicted for every crime short of murder - from selling crack to taking bribes to running prostitution rings.
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By the end of the decade, the surrounding community was eager for the prison to close its doors. In 1998, legislation was passed to close the prison, and the last prisoners were transported elsewhere in 2001. After the prison closed, 2324 acres were sold to Fairfax County for $4.2 million. The County created a comprehensive adaptive reuse study for the land. In 2008, the county opened the Workhouse Arts Center in what used to be the medium security facility. The Workhouse consists of artist studios, galleries, and theaters. The Center supports local artists and houses community events like the annual Clifton Film Fest.
