State Penitentiary
Information about the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond, VA during the Civil War.

The State Penitentiary was located at the western terminus of Byrd Street, northwest of Gamble's Hill.

Written Accounts

1866-03-01, Richmond Examiner; bizarre account of a negro woman at Chimborazo who gave birth to a litter of puppies – she to go to the poor house, thence to the Penitentiary
1866-03-09, Richmond Dispatch; two drunk and disorderly U. S. soldiers tossed into Libby Prison
1866-04-20, Richmond Examiner; execution of a Union soldier to be held at Libby Prison
1880-07-28, Richmond Dispatch; very interesting account from the man who commanded the Richmond prisons in 1865-66. Describes a romance between Col. Ordway and one of Judge Ould’s relatives as well as a secret prisoner (Professor McCullogh) kept in Castle
1880-12-07, Richmond Dispatch; Penitentiary convict escapes while working at Chimborazo – shots fired. Eventually recaptured
1883-04-01, Richmond Dispatch; incredibly detailed recollections of the evacuation of Richmond – gives reliable chronology of events of the fire and occupation
1889-01-20, Richmond Dispatch; more on the Bread Riot, again focusing on the roles President Davis and Governor Letcher played in quelling the riot
1890-04-03, Richmond Dispatch; excellent description, including valuable testimony of Isaac Carrington, of the evacuation fire of Richmond. Notes that Libby had been emptied the day before
1901-12-08, Richmond Dispatch; description of the escape of Richard R. "Dick" Turner from Libby Prison, after the close of the war. Includes engraving of Turner
1929, The Black Swan; "The Libby Lion;" article written by the son of R. R. "Dick" Turner, describing his boyhood and experiences with his father. Notes that his Dick Turner was "on the staff of General Winder, with the rank of Captain

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