The Old Stone Jail

1911

  The organizational meeting of a new Board of Inspectors of the Jail of Cambria County came about due to state enactment of “. . . an act to provide for better management of jails in counties with populations of 150,000 to 250,000.”

Prison Board, Minutes, March 6, 1911.

  The act directed counties to appoint a warden, provide for the safe keeping, discipline and employment of prisoners and be responsible for the management of the jail. Until this point the jail had been run by the county sheriff.  

First Officers

  The first warden under the new system was Ed Knee, who had been working at  the prison since 1895 and had been the Chief Officer since 1906. His salary, as voted by the Board, was $2,000 per year. Warden Knee nominated Harry Griffith as Deputy Warden, Christian Good as the day watchman and Davy Davis as the night watchman.

Board Actions  

 The Board made taking an inventory of the food the warden’s first assignment. It voted to charge the City of Johnstown $.20/day for the housing of prisoners convicted by the Mayor’s office. This would later prove to be quite a money-making arrangement for the prison. The board set a salary of $250/year for the Jail Physician, Dr. Jones and $100/year for the dentist, Dr. T. Mason Richards. Subsequent minutes of the board even recorded the number of teeth extracted each year, apparently the only procedure performed by the dentist.

  Although 1911 was a landmark year in the way in which the county administered the jail; it also saw the building itself greatly altered. By 1909 the population of the local prison was more than twice its capacity. Though a small brick building was built in the yard for female prisoners, the male population was around 175. The 1872 building had been built for 50 to 60 inmates.

The Annex

  A large fire-bricked annex, designed by the Van Dorn Iron Works of Cleveland OH, was built within the prison yard leaving only small narrow courtyards on either side of the 4-storied annex structure. Rather than the traditional corridor down the middle, the annex consisted of one large room with a four tiered iron cell block in the middle. This afforded the guards a unique view of the cellblock from almost any angle.  

  “ There is an elevator cage in which runs an electric elevator. It runs between the basement and the top tier of the cells. The cooking department is in the basement of the annex of the jail. The “trustees” work in this department, as well as on the different ranges. In the basement are also located the kitchen, boiler room, bakery, toilet room, store rooms and a large shower bath.”  

The Weekly Tribune - Johnstown, Friday April 21, 1911.

  The additional 52 cells brought the population capacity to around 250 prisoners. By the 1970’s the population would reach near 1000. The pressure of housing that many prisoners was relieved somewhat by programs such as work release and a weekend prison program.

Check back for the final brochure of The Old Stone Jail series.