Burlington County Prison Museum

Most sites won’t cover a place like this, and I feel they’re missing out on quite a bit by not doing so.

This prison was finished in 1811 and used up til 1965. For the most part, it’s in its original condition, with many of the walls still having prisoners’ graffiti on them. It also has the distinction of being the 1st fireproof building in the US. Many hangings occurred here, the last being a double hanging in 1906. 2 guards were also killed here by drunken inmates.

It starts out as most museums do…a room with artifacts set up as they would have been arranged back in the day. Nothing too exciting.

Then on to the good stuff. I think what really made this trip was the writing on the walls. Know how in the old cartoons & movies the prisoners mark off the days on the wall? They really do that.
Take note that most of the writing had plastic over it, so the flash was reflected.

You can go out in the courtyard too. Not much to see except for the high walls and reconstructed gallows.

All in all, not a bad trip. At only $4 it’s not bad if you’re near Mt. Holly and have an hour to spend. My favorite part was reading the writing on the walls. That alone made it a worthwhile place to check out.
For more info about the prison museum, check out this link.

Author: Stu