These Walls Do Talk

These Walls Do Talk. . , The Minnesota State Reformatory for Men was constructed in stages from 1889 to 1922. The facility, designed to hold 1,000 inmates, was originally a prison for young offenders, 16 to 30 years old, with the intent of transforming them into productive citizens., The site of the prison was purposefully chosen to be near Minnesota's oldest commercial granite quarry, which had begun operations in 1868. In the spirit of teaching useful skills to inmates, prisoners were taught to quarry, cut, dress, and lay stone – building the very facility in which they would be housed while learning skills that would be useful upon release. Today, the prison continues to house approximately 1,000 adult male prisoners behind the imposing granite walls that separate the inmates from the public., Administration Building under construction, 1917., World's Longest Granite Wall , The massive granite walls were intended to be intimidating – sending a message to citizens and criminals that the state of Minnesota was serious about protecting the public from crime and criminals. The imposing 22-foot high stone wall, finished in 1922, was constructed completely by inmates. The wall is four feet thick at its base, tapering to three feet at its top. Armed guards watching from commanding guard towers reinforce the prison's formidable purpose., Quarrying granite to make the state prison, 1914., Outstanding Architecture , Complementing the prison walls are several buildings designed in the Richardsonian Romanesque style – heavy, massive stone buildings reminscent of mediaeval castles and fortifications from 12th Century Norman France. Many of these buildings – including the administration building, guard towers and one of the cell blocks – were designed by one of Minnesota's premier architects, Clarence H. Johnston. Johnston also designed several buildings on the campuses of the University of Minnesota, including Northrup Auditorium and Williams Arena, the Grandstand at the Minnesota State Fair Grounds, St. Paul's Central High School, and the Glensheen mansion in Duluth., Clarence H. Johnston, Sr. , (1859 - 1936) , State Architect, Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture of the Minnesota State Prison in St. Cloud., Manufacturing License Plates (1954). License plates were made at the St. Cloud prison until 2008, when stamping was replaced by printing., The stone waste created during the building of the prison was crushed into rubble for the construction of nearby state highways., Originally, inmates released from Minnesota's prisons received a horse, saddle, rifle and a gold piece to help them integrate back into society.