Leverett Street Jail
Encyclopedia
The Leverett Street Jail (1822–1851) in Boston
, Massachusetts
served as the city and county
prison for some three decades in the mid-19th century. Inmates included John White Webster
. Notorious for its overcrowding, the facility closed in 1851, when inmates were installed in the nearby, newly built Charles Street Jail
, also in the West End.
(since the 1630s located off Court Street
) as inadequate.
In 1823, "on inspecting the common jails of the city, in Leverett Street, it was found that, of the two stone prisons there situated, one was amply sufficient for all the usual exigencies of the courts of justice. It was determined, therefore, to convert the other into a house of correction, and employ the inmates in the adjoining jail-yard in hammering stone and like materials." Thus "there were two separate prisons within the same enclosure."
and his pirate associates on trial in Boston in 1834 were held in the Leverett Street jail. In 1835 abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison
was held in the jail temporarily for his own protection when a mob turned against him.
Others held in the prison included, for instance, people in custody after police raids on Ann Street. One night in 1851, "165 persons of all ages, sexes, nations and colors ... were marched off in pairs to the Leverett Street Jail ... for the various crimes of piping, fiddling, dancing, drinking, and all their attendant vices."
Executions took place at the jail. In 1831, "Joseph Gadett and Thomas Colinett [were] hung ... for piracy," and in 1834 Henry Joseph also. In 1850, Dr. Webster of the highly publicized George Parkman murder case was executed.
In 1833 the city built a new House of Correction in South Boston, designed on the Auburn system
(an improvement at the time). After 1833 "as the city and county lock-up the Leverett Street Jail held inmates who were awaiting trial and also those who had been sentenced to the [South Boston] House of Correction and were waiting for transport there. " "De Beaumont
and de Tocqueville
declared the House of Correction in South Boston to be a model for similar establishments, and the county jail in Leverett Street just the opposite." In other words, conditions improved for inmates in the new South Boston prison, but remained objectionable for inmates remaining at Leverett Street.
By ca.1843, "it will cause sorrow and pain to the citizens of Boston that ... we still have a jail, on Leverett Street, which has been presented as a nuisance by the grand jury; which has had proceedings instituted against it, year after year, by the city government ... and yet there is not final action for its removal or change." In 1851 "it was finally replaced by a new jail on Charles Street known as the Charles Street Jail." The old jail building on Leverett Street stood until at least 1856.
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
served as the city and county
Suffolk County, Massachusetts
Suffolk County has no land border with Plymouth County to its southeast, but the two counties share a water boundary in the middle of Massachusetts Bay.-National protected areas:*Boston African American National Historic Site...
prison for some three decades in the mid-19th century. Inmates included John White Webster
John White Webster
John White Webster , born in Boston, Massachusetts, was a professor of chemistry and geology at Harvard Medical College...
. Notorious for its overcrowding, the facility closed in 1851, when inmates were installed in the nearby, newly built Charles Street Jail
Charles Street Jail
The Charles Street Jail or "Suffolk County Jail" is a historic former jail located at 215 Charles Street, Boston, Massachusetts...
, also in the West End.
History
Begun around 1819, the "new gaol in Leverett-street" opened in 1822. Prior to that time, many had recognized the previous town jailBoston Gaol (Massachusetts)
The Boston Gaol was a jail in the center of Boston, Massachusetts, located off Court Street, in the block bounded by School, Washington and Tremont Streets. It was rebuilt several times on the same site, before finally moving to the West End in 1822...
(since the 1630s located off Court Street
Court Street (Boston, Massachusetts)
Court Street is located in the Financial District of Boston, Massachusetts. Prior to 1788, it was called Prison Lane and then Queen Street . In the 19th century it extended beyond its current length, to Bowdoin Square. In the 1960s most of Court Street was demolished to make way for the...
) as inadequate.
In 1823, "on inspecting the common jails of the city, in Leverett Street, it was found that, of the two stone prisons there situated, one was amply sufficient for all the usual exigencies of the courts of justice. It was determined, therefore, to convert the other into a house of correction, and employ the inmates in the adjoining jail-yard in hammering stone and like materials." Thus "there were two separate prisons within the same enclosure."
Architecture
Architecturally, "the Leverett Street jail was considered very secure, walls and floors being composed of large blocks of hewn stone clamped together with iron, while between the courses loose cannon-balls were laid in cavities hollowed out for the purpose."Inmates
Don Pedro GibertPedro Gilbert
Pedro Gilbert or Don Pedro Gibert was an early 19th century pirate, who was one of the few remaining pirates continuing to raid shipping on the Atlantic coast...
and his pirate associates on trial in Boston in 1834 were held in the Leverett Street jail. In 1835 abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison was a prominent American abolitionist, journalist, and social reformer. He is best known as the editor of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator, and as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society, he promoted "immediate emancipation" of slaves in the United...
was held in the jail temporarily for his own protection when a mob turned against him.
Others held in the prison included, for instance, people in custody after police raids on Ann Street. One night in 1851, "165 persons of all ages, sexes, nations and colors ... were marched off in pairs to the Leverett Street Jail ... for the various crimes of piping, fiddling, dancing, drinking, and all their attendant vices."
Executions took place at the jail. In 1831, "Joseph Gadett and Thomas Colinett [were] hung ... for piracy," and in 1834 Henry Joseph also. In 1850, Dr. Webster of the highly publicized George Parkman murder case was executed.
Conditions in the prison
The conditions in the jail were widely criticized. Prisoners lived crowded together, regardless of the mildness (e.g. minor debt) or severity of their crime. "The new, costly, and elegant prison ... is so constructed as not to admit of a proper separation of its inmates." By 1831, "the true character of this place is beginning to be understood:""The crowded night rooms; the 1,000 debtors annually, and the 1,000 criminals and vagrants; the men and the women; the old men and black boys; the idiots, the lunatics and the drunkards; all confined in two buildings at night, and on the Sabbath, in which there can be no separation, and no effectual supervision or restraint, to prevent gambling and falsehood, profane swearing and lascivious conversation, wrath, strife, backbiting and revengeRevengeRevenge is a harmful action against a person or group in response to a grievance, be it real or perceived. It is also called payback, retribution, retaliation or vengeance; it may be characterized, justly or unjustly, as a form of justice.-Function in society:Some societies believe that the...
."
In 1833 the city built a new House of Correction in South Boston, designed on the Auburn system
Auburn system
The Auburn system is a penal method of the 19th century in which persons worked during the day in groups and were kept in solitary confinement at night, with enforced silence at all times...
(an improvement at the time). After 1833 "as the city and county lock-up the Leverett Street Jail held inmates who were awaiting trial and also those who had been sentenced to the [South Boston] House of Correction and were waiting for transport there. " "De Beaumont
Gustave de Beaumont
Gustave de Beaumont was a French magistrate, prison reformer, and travel companion to the famed philosopher and politician Alexis de Tocqueville...
and de Tocqueville
Alexis de Tocqueville
Alexis-Charles-Henri Clérel de Tocqueville was a French political thinker and historian best known for his Democracy in America and The Old Regime and the Revolution . In both of these works, he explored the effects of the rising equality of social conditions on the individual and the state in...
declared the House of Correction in South Boston to be a model for similar establishments, and the county jail in Leverett Street just the opposite." In other words, conditions improved for inmates in the new South Boston prison, but remained objectionable for inmates remaining at Leverett Street.
By ca.1843, "it will cause sorrow and pain to the citizens of Boston that ... we still have a jail, on Leverett Street, which has been presented as a nuisance by the grand jury; which has had proceedings instituted against it, year after year, by the city government ... and yet there is not final action for its removal or change." In 1851 "it was finally replaced by a new jail on Charles Street known as the Charles Street Jail." The old jail building on Leverett Street stood until at least 1856.
Further reading
- City Expenditures and Resources: Tenth Annual Report. American Federalist Columbian Centinel, September 11, 1822.
- Boston Board of Aldermen. Report of the committee on the Jail and Houses of industry, correction, and reformation, 1831.
- 6th Annual report of the Board of Managers of the Prison Discipline Society. Boston: 1831.
- Boston Board of Aldermen. Report of the committee on the Jail and Houses of industry, correction, and reformation, 1834.
- 10th Annual report of the Board of Managers of the Prison Discipline Society. Boston: 1835.
- Boston City Council. Leverett Street Jail. 1841.