Monroe County Penitentiary papers

The papers and records of the Monroe County Penitentiary on South Avenue in Rochester, N. Y., are arranged in five categories: correspondence, financial, legal, attendance reports, and miscellaneous.

Boxes 1 - 3 contain correspondence (1855- 1964) primarily to and from the superintendent of the penitentiary. The letters are filed in chronological order. The superintendents, with terms of office, include:

In 1971, when the penitentiary was demolished, Mr. Riley was appointed superintendent of the Monroe County Jail, 130 Plymouth Avenue South in downtown Rochester. The printed annual reports and other relevant information of the superintendents are included in: Monroe county, N. Y. Board of Supervisors. Proceedings., which can be located through the card catalog.

For the period 1854-1915, The subjects covered in the letters vary widely. Most refer to financial matters, such as transfer of funds, requests for payment or goods, old formal check vouchers, and deliveries. These cover the day to day operation and management of the several shops, the farm, and other facilities within the penitentiary. Other subjects covered in this correspondence include notification of bail, the delivery and discharge of prisoners, and similar matters. There are also requests for information about individual prisoners by state and county officials for the purpose of pardons and clemency.

From 1915 on, monthly financial reports in letter form to the County Treasurer make up the bulk of the correspondence. Until 1935, letters regarding the areas above can also be found interspersed with the monthly reports. After 1933, very few letters are present, while the monthly financial reports continue until 1964.

Boxes 4 - 7 (financial 1854 - 1963) are arranged in approximate chronological order. The material includes inventories, balance sheets and ledgers, receipts, bills and statements, checks and vouchers, and other miscellaneous arterial. In the late 1870's, several reports of the payments by and charges to other agencies who had prisoners at the Monroe County penitentiary also appear. They include the federal government and surrounding counties. From about 1880 until 1920, the material is mostly bills and receipts. There are only a few pieces between 1920 and 1938. From 1939 to 1952, only monthly balance sheets between the penitentiary and the Rochester State Hospital appear. They reflect the sale of fare and shop products to the hospital and garbage collection there. In 1953, ledger sheets of prisoners wages paid begins; the monthly hospital reports end in 1959. From then until 1963, only the prisoner wage listing can be found.

Box 8 contains legal material from 1854 until 1949. The material is arranged in approximate chronological order by decades. From 1854 until 1919, the material includes insurance policies, contracts and agreements, discharges of prisoners, requests for information from the governor, and a few court transcripts and some state legislation. After 1920, most of the material deals with inspections and tests of the penitentiary's farm, particularly the herds for tuberculosis. After 1940, the only item is the contract and blueprint for a new front driveway for the penitentiary grounds.

Box 9 contains several years of very detailed statistics of attendance at the penitentiary. The reports cover 1909-1914 and include the summary of the daily flux of prisoners, the number received, discharged, and a running total. Also, there are lists of names of the persons that were discharged each day, along with notes of their personal belongings that were returned as they left. There a several months in 1912 that are missing, but most are present and filed in chronological order.

Box 10 contains folders of miscellaneous material. The first folder is a detailed inventory conducted in 1933 of the entire penitentiary. The second folder contains receipt books from 1956 to 1962. The third folder contains various types of printed material, including a federal statement regarding health facilities in jails, newspaper clippings, and advertisements of vendors. The fourth folder captains twenty 8x10 inch photos of the penitentiary taken in 1971 just before it was demolished.

Box 11 contains folders of annual reports of several penal institutions around the country, an outline for layout and equipment of prisons and penitentiaries, and the annual reports from the Monroe County Penitentiary from 1937 until 1959.

Box 12 contains miscellaneous financial and legal material. A record of services performed by the superintendent in 1963 is in the first folder. The last four folders contain miscellaneous contracts between the penitentiary and other counties and law enforcement agencies, and are arranged in chronological order from 1923 until 1938.

The 107 Bound Volumes in the collection cover various matters relating to the running of the penitentiary, including financial ledgers, inmate records, labor accounts, statistical reports, inventories, and report scrapbooks. Dates vary according to category.

Also included with the papers are four record storage boxes of Sheriff's Records that were added to the collection on June 11, 1990. These are shelved with the collection, but have not been indexed.