PENDLETON, Ind. — On Feb. 6, 1918, the Indiana State Prison located in Jeffersonville was severely damaged by fire.

The Reformatory, also known as Indiana State Prison South, housed young inmates between the ages of 16 to 30. Older inmates were incarcerated at the Indiana State Prison located in Michigan City.

Indiana Gov. James P. Goodrich, a Republican,  and his commission decided to relocate the prison to an area located in the central part of the state. Goodrich felt that the town of Pendleton would be an ideal site.

Construction commenced in March 1922. Overseeing the project was architect Herbert W. Folz, whose plan was to have the cell blocks fan out from a central point. The buildings were arranged so natural light, air and green grass would be evident. The buildings were modeled after the Spanish Colonial Revival style. The original design included a dormitory, administration building, officer’s quarters, official residences, warehouses, barns and three cell houses.



Prisoners helped build

The relocation of the reformatory to south Madison County was met with mixed opinion from the residents of Pendleton. Though many did not want a state prison located in the small town, others welcomed the labor it brought to the county. Over 300 common laborers and artisans were used, making it one of the largest sites built in Indiana in recent years.

To ease mounting construction costs, prisoners from Jeffersonville were used in the erection of two industrial buildings. Legend has it that the prisoners walked by foot from Jeffersonville to Pendleton, under the watchful eye of prison guards.

In July 1922 excavation began on the 4,000-foot wall surrounding the prison, that occupied 31 acres of land. Newly-elected Gov. Warren T. McCray awarded the Reformatory a contract from Brazil Brick Company of Brazil, Ind., to supply 3 million buff-colored matt-faced bricks for the exterior of the prison. The state paid $27.50 per 1,000 bricks that was delivered. Superintendent Fred Friedline proposed that the final cost of the Indiana Reformatory would exceed $3 million.

Upon its completion the Indiana Reformatory had a greenhouse, foundry, power plant, chapel, prison band, ball diamond, recreation center, water tower, and a learning center for the inmates. The educational system of the Indiana Reformatory has been known through the years as the School of Letters.

Conditions changed in 1951 when educators from Indiana University and Purdue University studied the educational needs of inmates in order to meet the qualifications of the State Board of Education. The learning center was given a name so it would not be associated with the reformatory.



Thomas R. White

Since former Chaplain Thomas R. White was a pioneer in making improvements in educating prisoners, the school was named Thomas R. White School.

The minister was born and raised in Ireland and later moved to Pendleton where he retired. The Presbyterian minister had been a sheep butcher, prison chaplain, and a chaplain for the American Red Cross during World War I.

Though White had served many well, educating prisoners at the Indiana Reformatory may have been the highlight of his life.

Gerhard Ahrens, of the State Department of Public Instruction, acknowledged the improvements made toward educating inmates at the Indiana Reformatory. Therefore inmates completing assigned courses would receive diplomas for their academic accomplishments.

During the early years of the Indiana Reformatory, newspapers were not allowed on the grounds. Prison officials felt that bringing in printed news from the outside world could affect the attitudes of prisoners.

Visitors were asked to leave newspapers at the main gate. That rule changed over the course of time to enhance reading skills of the young inmates. Other prison accommodations included bathing twice per week, tobacco use twice per week, breakfast, lunch, and supper, a canteen where items could be bought,  and the privilege of letter writing to family and friends as long as the prisoner paid postage.



Public Enemy No. 1

Since the mid 1920s, thousands of inmates have been incarcerated at the Indiana Reformatory. The most famous being John Dillinger, the Indianapolis native who later became Public Enemy  No. 1.

In September 1924, Dillinger and a friend attempted a robbery at a Mooresville grocery store. The 21-year-old Dillinger beat the grocer with an iron pipe wrapped in cloth. The grocer was not seriously hurt in the failed robbery, but Dillinger received a maximum sentence of 34 years at the Indiana Reformatory.

While at Pendleton Dillinger worked in the shirt factory, often succeeding in doubling his quota. The baseball enthusiast played second base for the prison team and befriended future gang members Harry Pierpont and Homer Van Meter.

After serving eight years of his 34-year sentence, Dillinger was transferred to the Indiana State Prison in Michigan City where he soon helped 10 prisoners escape. Dillinger and his gang robbed 12 Midwest banks including the First National Bank of East Chicago, Ill.

In July 1934, Dillinger was shot and killed by federal agents outside the Biograph Theatre in downtown Chicago after seeing “Manhattan Melodrama” starring Clark Gable. Dillinger was laid to rest at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis.



1960s and beyond

In April 1965, 50 paintings and drawings by inmate artists were displayed at the Marrott Hotel in Indianapolis. Money made from artwork sales was placed in an account at the Eastside Art Center that allowed artists to purchase supplies. One of the most popular pieces on display was an 8- by 5-foot oil painting on canvas of an ancient castle near the edge of a lake. Judges enjoyed the detail, composition and talent that went into the painting.

In the late 1960s, Indiana Reformatory Warden John W. Buck indeed believed that the prison would house thousands of prisoners in the years to come.

“Crime is certainly not on the decrease,” Buck said. In June 1996, the Indiana General Assembly passed House Enrolled Act 1229 that changed the name of the Indiana Reformatory. The following month, the prison was officially named the Pendleton Correctional Facility.