Gambles Hill in Richmond, Virginia — The American South (Mid-Atlantic)

Virginia State Penitentiary

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

1. Virginia State Penitentiary Marker

Inscription. The Virginia General Assembly authorized a state penitentiary in 1796 during a penal reform movement aimed at rehabilitating convicts through confinement and labor. Benjamin H. Latrobe, who later designed the United States Capitol, was the primary architect. The penitentiary opened here in 1800, and other buildings were added later. Early inmates included former U.S. Vice President Aaron Burr, incarcerated in 1807 while awaiting trial for treason, and British prisoners captured during the War of 1812. Virginia’s executions took place here from 1908 until the penitentiary closed in 1990. Latrobe’s structure was razed in 1927, and the rest of the complex was demolished in 1992.

Erected 2016 by Department of Historic Resources. (Marker Number SA-113.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Virginia Department of Historic Resources (DHR) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.

Location. 37° 32.366′ N, 77° 26.941′ W. Marker is in Richmond, Virginia. It is in Gambles Hill. It is

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at the intersection of South Belvidere Street (U.S. 301) and Spring Street, on the left when traveling south on South Belvidere Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Richmond VA 23220, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Central Virginia.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Upper South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Samuel Pleasants Parsons House (within shouting distance of this marker); Imperial Airlines Flight 201/8 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Virginia War Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away); John Miller House (approx. 0.2 miles away); In Memory of Distinguished Persons Buried in Hollywood (approx. ¼ mile away); St. Andrew's Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Grace Evelyn Arents (approx. ¼

Photographed by J. J. Prats, September 3, 2017

2. Virginia State Penitentiary Marker

mile away but has been replaced with another marker now near it); a different marker also named Grace Evelyn Arents (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Richmond.

Other markers no longer nearby. The Canal and the Civil War (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed); Rail Lines at Tredegar (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed); Worker Housing (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been permanently removed).

Also see . . . Elevations and Drawings for the Virginia “Penitentiary House”. “The Virginia State Penitentiary, since demolished, was Latrobe's first major public commission in America and a monument to the era's penal reform movement. Latrobe's elevations of the south front of the proposed prison building show an entryway and a "keeper's house" at the center of the ranges of cells. The plan reflects the Enlightenment's reliance on solitary confinement and surveillance as a means to reform prisoners. Throughout most of the eighteenth century, the reform of criminals was thought impossible, and thus public ostracism and severe punishments

Latrobe’s Penitentiary House Drawings image. Click for full size.

1797 Ink and watercolor on paper by Benjamin Henry Latrobe via The Library of Virginia

3. Latrobe’s Penitentiary House Drawings

were routine. The reformers hoped that criminals could redeem themselves through penitence and solitary reflection. Latrobe's plan also called for the separation of male and female prisoners, a practice seldom followed in earlier jails.” (Submitted on September 11, 2017.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 1, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 11, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio. This page has been viewed 1,319 times since then and 90 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on September 11, 2017, by J. J. Prats of Powell, Ohio.