Milledgeville in Baldwin County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Georgia's State Prison Farm
(1899-1937)
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 18, 2026
1. Georgia's State Prison Farm Marker
After the Civil War, Georgia established the State Prison Farm at this site, creating it for women, juveniles, and men unable to perform convict-leasing or chain gang labor. Like other states and private prisons nationwide, the prison focused on reforming inmates through daily hard labor and used the inmates to address labor shortages following emancipation. The agriculture-based, 4,000-acre facility became self-sufficient and relied upon its predominantly African-American inmates' labor. In 1924 Georgia made electrocution the method of capital punishment, installing its first electric chair at the State Prison Farm. The facility closed in 1937 when a larger, federally-funded state prison opened in Reidsville. The men's dormitory, which housed the electric chair and prisoners such as Leo Frank and Bill Miner, was the last standing structure until its demolition in 2018.
Erected 2026 by Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and Baldwin County Board of Commissioners. (Marker Number 5-6.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Places. A significant historical year for this entry is 1899.
Location. 33° 5.632′ N,
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Antebellum Trail and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep 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 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Junction of 20th and 14th Corps (approx. half a mile away); Flannery O'Connor's Andalusia Farm (approx. 2.2 miles away); Brown-Stetson-Sanford House (approx. 2½ miles away); Route of the Twentieth Corps (approx. 2½ miles away); State College
Photographed by Darren Jefferson Clay, July 18, 2026
2. Georgia's State Prison Farm Marker
Another marker is no longer nearby. The March to the Sea (was approx. 2½ miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Credits. This page was last revised on August 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on August 15, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. This page has been viewed 16 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on August 15, 2026, by Darren Jefferson Clay of Duluth, Georgia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
