Indiana Reformatory fire, February 6, 1918

Description: Photograph of the aftermath of the Indiana Reformatory fire, showing burned buildings and brick rubble. On February 6, 1918, a fire destroyed many of the prison buildings, although no inmates were injured. Despite the destruction, the reformatory continued in operation, though it was never fully restored. The state began plans to move the inmates to the new Pendleton Reformatory or the Indiana Boys School and placed the property for sale. By 1921 the Colgate Company had decided to purchase the property and took ownership in 1923. For nearly a year, almost half the reformatory inmates remained in the cell houses, separated from workers by a wooden fence. By 1924, the last had been removed.
Origin: 1918
Source: http://indianamemory.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p16066coll100/id/36
Collection: Clarksville Historical Collection
Rights: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/;
Geography: Clarksville, Clark County, Indiana, United States
Subjects: Prisons--Indiana--Clarksville
Indiana Reformatory (Clarksville, Ind.)

Further information on this record can be found at its source.