Chamber members see past and future of old prison

Carson City Chamber of Commerce members got a taste of the storied history — and potential future — of the Nevada State Prison off East Fifth Street.

Members gathered in the old prison’s culinary hall May 9 to eat a lunch from Red’s Old 395 Grill and to hear stories from Glen Whorton, former director of the Nevada Department of Corrections. The members entered single file, retrieved meals from a slot in the wall and sat on metal chairs surrounded by a chain-link cage.

Established in 1862 with the help of Carson City founder Abe Curry, the prison not only supplied sandstone from the prison quarry to several landmark buildings in the capital city, but became the site of political intrigue, escapes, riots and executions.

One such piece of history is the escape of 1871 when 29 inmates managed to break out, killing two people in the process. The escape ended in a dramatic confrontation at what is now known as Convict Lake in Mono County, Calif.

“Out of the 29 inmates that escaped, 20 of them were recaptured,” said Whorton. “Two of them were hung, and seven of them we never saw again.”

The future of the site is still being shaped. The prison officially closed in 2012. Since then, the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society, a nonprofit, has been working to preserve the site as a historic and educational resource. The prison was approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, according to the NSPPS website.

However, much needed repairs pose challenges. Chamber members had to sign liability waivers for the event.

“This is really one of those stepping stones in the progress of what we’re doing with this facility,” Carson City Supervisor Maurice White, also president of the NSPPS board, told the audience.

White said the preservation society took over 53 acres and 200,000 square feet of unmaintained buildings. To offer limited tours is a sign of progress, but the organization still needs help with website and media tasks — like social media — and needs more volunteers for tours and other activities.

Paramount for the organization is securing more funds for building maintenance.

“For instance, just to repair roofs as they need to be repaired, about a million dollars,” White said. “This past winter, I was able to catalogue 63 leaks in the roofs of this facility. And we get no help from the state.”

White later told the Appeal opening the prison to the public full-time and offering more events will make it an asset to the community and economy. He pointed to Lake Tahoe, Reno and Virginia City as draws for tourists and described how the prison, paired with other historical buildings in the capital, will make Carson City a sought-after destination.

“It really makes Carson City a three-day destination,” he said, noting how much time tourists could spend exploring Carson’s historic legacy.

Chamber Executive Director Ronni Hannaman agreed the prison could be an asset, especially alongside the Carson City Mint (now museum), the Nevada State Railroad Museum and the Stewart Indian School.

“The history of Nevada began right in our own backyard, and we’ve got the museums to prove it,” she said. “The Nevada State Prison predates statehood and is linked to Carson City founder Abe Curry, who served as the prison’s first warden.”

Hannaman said the NSPPS is trying to make that history come alive.

“The prison should be open on a regular basis and become another of this state’s premium museums which will, in turn, increase Carson’s economy through increased and longer visitor stays,” she said.

Hannaman added, “Prisons are quite the visitor draw.”

For information about the NSPPS, visit https://nevadastateprison.org/.