Record #:

23400

Author(s):

Kammerer, Roger

Abstract:

In 1938 - 1939, the Pitt County Prison was constructed on 94 acres on Belvoir Road. It included a cellblock, guards' quarters, superintendent's house, dining hall, and three other buildings. The prison camp also had 80 acres of cleared land to raise vegetables with farming and work around the prison conducted by 12 \"Honor Grade\" prisoners. In 1950, the local newspaper reported that 110 prisoners dwelled in the prison. Prisoners worked 10 - 12 hours a day and were punished by being either put into the \"Dark Hole\" for eight to ten days, or handcuffed to cell bars for eight to ten hours, depending on the severity of the misbehavior. The prison established a prison baseball team, and a prison hobby shop was created in 1961 for \"Honor Grade\" prisoners. The Pitt County Prison was decommissioned on January 18, 1964 and the prisoners were moved to the Vance County Prison. The prison became the Pitt County jail for over a year, and then part of the Eastern Sheltered Workshop and Vocational Rehabilitation Center, Inc. The prison was torn down during the expansion of the airport.

Source:

Greenville Times / Pitt's Past (NC Microforms), Vol. Issue , Dec 6-19 2006, p7, 12

Subject(s):

Prisons--Pitt County