Keyword Search

Recent Postings

Donald T. Winder (1894-1968).

Cyrus Brady McCune (1850-1920).

Judge Frank W. Lyon (1856-1921).

Patrick Fitzpatrick (1857-1908).

Judge William A. Kerr (1867-1919).

Ferdinand Barta (1857-1928).

Viewing Courthouses, Jails & Prisons Category (48) found:

Hastings H. Hart: "The Jail System of Minnesota" (1885).

In 1885 the Board of Corrections and Charities submitted its First Biennial Report to the Legislature. It was compiled and written by Hastings Hornell Hart, the secretary of the Board. After his appointment in 1883, Hart inspected each of Minnesota's 55 jails and even toured public facilities in other states. He set forth his findings and recommendations in "The Jail System of Minnesota" that was intended to shock the Board and Legislature into reforming the jail system. A superb writer, he skillfully wove anecdotes into his descriptions of county jails to demonstrate their deficiencies:

"In the Nobles county jail is a cell with a ring in the floor. The sheriff explained that when a violent insane man was disposed to break windows or do other damage he was handcuffed to that ring so that he could do no harm."

We can assume from subsequent events that Hart never forgot his tour of Minnesota county jails in 1883 and 1884. He continued to write blunt accounts of individual county facilities for the Board's biennial reports, thereby building such a substantial record of jail mismanagement and neglect that intervention by the state legislature to change the entire system became difficult to resist. His efforts were rewarded in April 1893 when the legislature enacted a massive jail reform act that incorporated many of the recommendations he made in the 1885 report that follows.

Before he was appointed secretary of the Board, Hart had been a Congregational pastor in Worthington, Minnesota. His decision to leave the ministry for a position in the newly-established Board of Corrections and Charities places him within the penal reform movement of the late Nineteenth Century. He may also have been influenced by the Social Gospel movement, an important force in Protestantism in post-bellum America.

Hart was secretary for 15 years and developed a national reputation in penology. He left the Board in 1898 to become superintendent of the Illinois Children's Home and Aid Society. Later, when employed by the Russell Sage Foundation, he published many articles and books on juvenile delinquency and prison reform. He died in 1932 at age eighty-one.

Hart's report on the conditions of Minnesota jails in 1883-1884 is the first of three reports by him posted on the MLHP. The second is "The County Jails, 1888-1890" (MLHP, 2012) (first published, 1891), and the third is "The County Jails, 1892-1894" (MLHP, 2012)(first published, 1895). To appreciate his accomplishments and understand the transformation of the county jail system that occurred between 1883 and 1894, they should be read in chronological order.

Hastings H. Hart: "The County Jails, 1888-1890" (1891).

In 1891, the State Board of Corrections and Charities published its Fourth Biennial Report to the Legislature, covering the years 1888-1890. As usual, it included a report from its meticulous, reform-minded secretary, Hastings Hornell Hart, on the conditions of each jail he had inspected during this period. Hart's descriptions were short, candid and fair. He quoted inmates on the quality of their meals, grand jury recommendations and even listed the exact dimensions of cells in some facilities, as for example, Stearns County's:

"The jail has been reconstructed. The old cells have been taken out and a new cage has been put in, consisting of three steel cells, three iron cells and a middle corridor. The cells are each 6½x8x7 feet. The front of each cell is of open lattice work, except about 18 inches wide. The rear of each steel cell is of solid jail plate, with a solid door. The rear of each iron cell is of open lattice work. In the centre corridor is a bath tub and water closet."

But he could not resist adding, "The water closet seat is of cast iron--good for nothing--was broken before being put in."

Taken together, Hart's biennial reports document the failures of county-run jails over a period of ten years. By accumulating examples of design deficiency, bad construction, and negligent management of county jails over time, Hart built a powerful case for state intervention. While he did not explicitly advocate new legislation in the following report, it is evident that he continued to believe that system-wide change was necessary. This occurred two years later, when a jail reform act was enacted. After reading Hart's biennial reports, it cannot be doubted that he was the inspiration if not one of the drafters of the reform legislation.

Hart's report on the conditions on Minnesota jails in 1888-1890 is the second of three reports by him posted on the MLHP. The first is "The Jail System of Minnesota" (MLHP, 2012) (first published, 1885); and the last is "The County Jails, 1892-1894" (MLHP, 2012) (first published, 1895). To appreciate his accomplishments and understand the transformation of the county jail system that occurred between 1883 and 1894, they should be read in chronological order.

Hastings H. Hart: "The County Jails, 1892-1894" (1895).

In April 1893, the state legislature passed a law that transformed control and management of the county jail, an important segment of the criminal justice system. Because the elected county board was frequently reluctant to use public funds for necessary repairs and upkeep of the jail, the reform act restricted county commissioners' operating authority over the jail while requiring them to fund the sheriff's jail budget; it increased the responsibilities of jail keepers while imposing penalties on them for violating their new duties; it empowered the State Board of Corrections and Charities to review new jail remodeling and construction projects; and it authorized district court judges to condemn jails and even approve the hiring of additional personnel by the sheriff.

For a decade, many of these changes had been advocated by Hastings Hornell Hart, the secretary of the State Board of Corrections and Charities. It is, therefore, tempting to view the 1893 jail reform legislation as "The Triumph of Hastings Hart" but he likely would have credited Governor Clough, a receptive legislature and a supportive Board of Corrections and Charities for the result. Nevertheless, he is the rare reformer who saw many of his ideas become law.

Hart's report about the condition of particular county jails and the immediate effects of the reform legislation is part of the Sixth Biennial Report to the Legislature by the State Board of Corrections and Charities, issued in 1895. It is vintage Hart: blunt, precise, thorough, at times sharp and other times complimentary, but always well-written.

Hart's report on the conditions of Minnesota jails in 1892-1894 is the last of three reports by him posted on the MLHP. The first is "The Jail System of Minnesota" (MLHP, 2012) (first published, 1885); and the second is "The County Jails, 1888-1890" (MLHP, 2012) (first published, 1891). To appreciate his accomplishments and understand the transformation of the county jail system that occurred between 1883 and 1894, they should be read in chronological order.

William H. C. Folsom: "Minnesota State Prison." (1888).

This account of the building of the state penitentiary in Stillwater appeared first in William H. C. Folsom's "Fifty Years in the Northwest," published in 1888.

"Minnesota State Prison" (1909).

The first prison was constructed in Stillwater in 1851-1853. There were no prisoners in 1853, and only 2 the next year, although it held 7 or 8 prisoners from counties that did not have suitable jails. The population rapidly increased over the decades, from 16 in 1860, to 39 in1870, 254 in 1880, 314 in 1890, and 703 in 1905 (14 of whom were women). In its first years, the few convicts had one-half of their heads shaved to distinguish them; later they were outfitted with uniforms. The "contract labor" system by which convicts were leased to private companies was prohibited by the legislature in 1895. Thereafter inmates were put to work manufacturing twine and shoes; in 1907, 225 convicts worked in the twine factory and 250 in the shoe factory. They were profitable: in 1907, the prison grossed $2,250,000 from both enterprises.

These facts and many others are contained in a chapter on the Stillwater Prison that appeared in the first of a two volume history of the Saint Croix Valley published in 1909.

Building the Becker County Court-House and Jail (1907).

Becker County was formed on March 18, 1858, but construction of its courthouse and jail were delayed for years because of disputes over the location of the county seat. Finally, on Decoration Day, 1885, the new courthouse and jail were dedicated in Detroit, the county seat.

The Blue Earth County Court House (1909).

Blue Earth County was organized March 5, 1853. Its first jail was completed January 1, 1857, and ten years later, construction of its first courthouse was completed.

In 1885, the state legislature authorized the county to issue bonds to build a new courthouse provided that voters give approval in a referendum. In a bitter contest, which pitted Mankato, the county seat, against other towns, the measure lost by a small margin, 1,907 to 1,799. Undaunted, the county commissioners forged ahead with building plans, which again "stirred up the opposition all over the county." In May 1886, a taxpayer's suit was brought to enjoin the county commissioners from building a courthouse. The case was assigned to Judge Martin Severance, who, in a politically savvy strategem, invited a colleague, Charles M. Start, to join him in hearing the case. Together they denied the injunction, permitting the commissioners to let contracts for the building. The following year, the legislature authorized the county to issue bonds to complete the project, provided that voters approve. After another spirited contest, the measure passed, 1,519 to 1,446.

Construction of the new courthouse was completed in October 1889, but because of lingering bitterness, no dedicatory services were held. However, in December of that year, at the inaugural court session, Judge Severance delivered an effusive address about "the structure," which he said, "marks the progress of that laudable rivalry attendant upon a civilization that holds every triumph in architecture to be the hand maid of science and morals."

This account of the Blue Earth County courthouse appeared first in a history of that county published in 1909.

Brown County Jails and Court Houses (1916).

Brown County was formed on February 20, 1855. Its first jail was a log building erected in 1859 in New Ulm, the county seat. It was replaced in 1865 by a brick building, and in 1872, a combined jail and court house was built. In 1889 the present court house was built and in 1915, work began on a separate jail and sheriff's home.

This history of the jails and courthouses of Brown County appeared first in a county history published in 1916.

Chippewa County Court House and Jail (1916).

In 1883, twenty-one years after Chippewa County was formed, its first courthouse and jail were built. Over the decades, parts of that building were added to, remodeled, and condemned. In 1910, the jail was replaced, and in 1957, a new courthouse was built.

This account of the first courthouse and jail appeared in a county history published in 1916.

The Court Houses and Jails of Clay County. (1918)

Ten years after Clay County was formed on March 8, 1862, Moorhead was designated the county seat. Court proceedings were first held in the second story of a small 20 X 30 feet frame building that was sold in 1878. A new court house and jail were erected in 1882-1883, and modernized many times in the following decades.

On April 5, 1878, after the county commissioners toured the county jail, they issued a detailed Report and Recommendations, which warrant lengthy study by all serious penologists.

Cottonwood County Court House Buildings and Jail (1916).

Cottonwood County was formed May 23, 1857. Private homes and stores were leased for government purposes until 1883, when the first court house was erected in Windom at a cost of $2,916.62. In 1905, a second court house, still in use, was built at a cost of $100,000.

This history of Cottonwood County's court houses and jail appeared first in a joint history of Cottonwood and Watonwan Counties published in 1916.

History of the Dakota County Courthouse. (1910)

Dakota County was formed October 27, 1849. Over two decades later, the courthouse was built in Hastings, the county seat. This account of the construction of the courthouse was published first in a joint history of Dakota and Goodhue Counties published in 1910.

The Dodge County Court House. (1884)

Land for the site of the first courthouse of Dodge County, formed on February 20, 1855, was acquired in the town of Mantorville in 1865. While construction was completed early the following year, improvements were made to the building over the next six years.

This account of the first courthouse of Dodge County appeared first in a history of Winona, Olmsted and Dodge Counties published in 1884.

Douglas County Court House and Jail (1916).

Douglas County was formed March 8, 1858. Its first court house, completed in 1876, was replaced by an entirely new structure in 1895. The first county jail was erected in 1868; it was replaced in 1880 by a new building that was so unhealthy and unsafe that the state board of corrections and charities condemned it in 1899. In 1900, a new jail that had "every modern convenience" was built.

This account of the early courthouses and jails in Douglas County appeared first in a county history published in 1916.

The First Court House of Faribault County (1896).

Faribault County was formed on February 20, 1855. Its first court house was erected in 1872 in Blue Earth City.

Fillmore County Court House and Jail (1912).

Fillmore County was formed March 5, 1853. Its first courthouse was built by county residents, who furnished labor and bought the material. It was dedicated on July 4, 1864.

Freeborn County Courthouse and Jail (1911).

In the fall of 1866, nine years after Freeborn County was formed, its first courthouse was erected in the county seat, Albert Lea. A jail was built in 1875. In 1887, a new courthouse was constructed.

The history of the Freeborn County courthouses and jails appeared first in a county history published in 1911.

History of the Goodhue County Courthouse. (1910)

Goodhue County was formed March 5, 1853, and the construction of its courthouse was completed by the end of the decade. This history of that courthouse appeared first in a joint history of Dakota and Goodhue Counties published in 1910.

Grant County Court House (1916).

Grant County was formed on March 6, 1868, and its first courthouse was erected ten years later. That was replaced by a new courthouse in 1906.

This account of the early courthouses of Grant county appeared first in a county history published in 1916.

History of the Kittson County Courthouse. (1909).

Kittson County was formed March 9, 1878. Lacking official quarters, county officials had offices in different towns in the county. The first court session was held in Hotel Hallock in 1881. In 1892, after some "agitation," a court house was erected in Hallock, the county seat.

This history of the Kittson County courthouse first appeared in a history of the Red River Valley published in 1909.

Lac qui Parle County Courthouses and Jail. (1916)

The commissioners of Lac qui Parle County, organized March 6, 1871, leased "a small frame building," once used as a hotel in the village of Lac qui Parle, as the courthouse until 1875. A store building was rented from 1875 to 1883, when a new courthouse was built and occupied. In November 1886, the county seat was relocated to Madison, where a new courthouse was erected.

This history of the early courthouses of Lac qui Parle County appeared in a joint history of Chippewa and Lac qui Parle Counties published in 1916.

History of the Court House of LeSueur County (1916).

LeSueur County was formed May 5, 1853. The county rented space for court proceedings and other official purposes until 1897, when construction of its first courthouse was completed. In 1914, the county jail was built. This history of the LeSueur County courthouse and jail appeared in a history of the county published in 1916.

Courthouses and Jails of McLeod County. (1917)

Although McLeod County was formed on March 1, 1856, it did not have a courthouse for over two decades. On January 7, 1876, the county commissioners invited the citizens of Glencoe, the county seat, to donate land and money for the erection of a county courthouse and jail. They responded and the buildings were completed late that year. The jail, however, quickly became antiquated, and it was sold for $25.50 in March 1882.

These excerpts of the proceedings of the county commissioners appeared first in a county history published in 1917.

William H. Budd: "The First Court House of Martin County." (1897)

Martin County's first courthouse was built by hand in 1862 by William H. Budd, five years after the county was formed. It was replaced in 1880.

Court-House and Jail of Meeker County (1888).

Although Meeker County was organized on February 23, 1856, it did not erect its first jail and courthouse until the mid-1880s. Brief descriptions of those buildings appeared in a county history published in 1888.

History of the Morrison County Court House and Jail (1915).

Morrison County was formed on February 23, 1855. Its first courthouse in was built in Little Falls the early 1870s, and was used about twenty years. In the early 1890s, the second courthouse was erected. In October 1891, that building was wired for electricity. The county jail was constructed in 1888, and remodeled in 1897, but it proved ill-suited for housing prisoners.

This history of the Morrison County courthouse and jail appeared first in a joint history of Morrison and Todd Counties published in 1915.

Mower County Court House (1911).

Mower County was established on February 23, 1855. The county commissioners rented rooms for meetings from 1857 to 1868, when a two story courthouse was erected in Austin. In 1881, the commissioners authorized construction of a larger courthouse, which was completed and occupied in March, 1884.

This article appeared first in a county history published in 1911.

Murray County Courthouses. (1986)

Murray County, formed May 23, 1857, used a "temporary" courthouse until it bought a building in Slayton, the county seat, for official use in 1875. A new courthouse was erected seven years later. In 1892, the third courthouse was built, and it lasted 89 years.

Nicollet County Court Houses and Jails (1916).

Nicollet County was formed March 5, 1853. In its first few years, county officials transacted business in private facilities. At the end of the decade, a building which had been built to be the new state capitol was donated to the county, and it served as the court house until 1881, when a new building made of red, "home-made" brick was completed.

Norman County Courthouse. (1918)

In 1904, the first courthouse of Norman County, which was formed on February 17, 1881, was built in Ada. Its construction culminated a fierce battle between the towns of Ada and Twin Valley over the location of the county seat.

The unusual history of this courthouse appeared first in a joint history of Clay and Norman Counties published in 1918.

Early Olmsted County Court Houses. (1884)

The first courthouse of Olmsted County, formed on February 20, 1855, was built in Rochester three years later. It was replaced in 1866 by a new building, financed by cash the county had on hand, eliminating the need for a special tax.

This account of the early courthouses of Olmsted County appeared first in a history of Winona, Olmsted and Dodge Counties published in 1884.

"Court Houses and Jails of Otter Tail County" (1916).

Otter Tail County, established on March 18, 1858, had four county seats in the following decades: Otter Tail City, Clitherall, Tordenskjold and Fergus Falls. While official government business was conducted at each site, a court house was never built in the first three towns. A "sollid oak log" jail was built in Otter Tail City about 1871, but it was moved log by log to Fergus Falls after it was designated the county seat in 1872. The first county court house was built in Fergus Falls in 1881. Because of the county's growth, a large addition was built in 1888, another in 1898, two more in 1902 and 1909, and a fifth in 1915. A new jail, constructed in 1885, was considered the "finest penal institution in the state of its kind."

This article is an excerpt from a county history published in 1916.

Pipestone County Court House (1911).

From May 23, 1857, when it was formed, to January 1902, Pipestone County did not have a courthouse. This account of where county business was conducted during its first forty-five years and the efforts that culminated in the erection of a courthouse made of "Pipestone red building stone," appeared in a county history published in 1911.

Redwood County Court House (1916).

For the first decade after it was formed on February 6, 1862, Redwood County officials transacted business out of their homes or at the office of a resident of Redwood Falls, the county seat. In 1873, a courthouse was built. A new brick courthouse was constructed in 1891. Its courtroom seats 800-1,000 spectators. The county jail was erected in 1895.

This history of the Redwood County courthouse and jail appeared in a county history published in 1916.

"Court Houses and Jails of Renville County" (1916).

The story of the court houses and jails of Renville County is entwined with bitter battles over the location of county seat that raged for forty-five years after the county was established on February 20, 1855.

Initially Beaver Falls and Birch Cooley were rivals. In 1872, following an election the previous year that many called fraudulent, a court house was built in Beaver Falls.

In 1889, Bird Island's attempt to become the county seat was defeated at the polls, leaving the "friends of Beaver Falls jubilant." A new court house was built that year. Five years later, however, "the county seat removal war dogs" once more became active when Olivia challenged Beaver Falls for county seat honors, and Bird Island renewed its bid. In an election on October 5, 1900, Olivia prevailed 1,535 votes to 1,251. In 1902, a new court house was built in Olivia and a new jail followed in 1905.

This article consists of excerpts from a county history published in 1916.

History of the Rice County Court House and Jail (1910).

Rice County was formed March 7, 1853. Twenty years later, county commissioners purchased land in Faribault, the county seat, for a courthouse. That building was completed in 1874. The county jail was built in 1873, remodeled in 1890, and condemned in 1910. A new jail was built shortly thereafter.

This history of the Rice County courthouse and jail appeared in the first volume of a joint history of Rice and Steele Counties published in 1910.

"Building the Rock County Courthouse" (1911).

In the wake of a bitter battle over the location of the county seat, the county commissioners pressed forward on their plan to build a courthouse, jail and sheriff's residence in Luverne. The first proposal to float bonds for $75,000 was not favorably received by the public. The amount was reduced to $50,000, but that also was considered too much. Finally the voters approved bonds totaling $30,000 by a 2:1 margin in June 1887. The building contract was let in August and the structure completed a year later, thirty-one years after the county was formed by the legislature.

Courthouses of St. Louis County. (1921)

The first court house in St. Louis County was a room in Luce's warehouse where numerous government services were provided--it was a post office, land office, and register of deeds office, among others. Court proceedings, however, were not held there. In 1859, four years after the county was formed, the first court session was held "in a little unfurnished room" in an unidentified building in Duluth.

Fifty years later, the county courthouse--"probably the most magnificent building in Duluth"--was built at a cost of 1.5 million dollars.

These brief descriptions of the early courthouses of St. Louis County appeared first in a county history published in 1921.

Dedication of the St. Paul City Hall-Ramsey County Courthouse (1932).

When the St. Paul City Hall-Ramsey County Courthouse was dedicated in late 1932, no one foresaw that it would become renowned as an architectural masterpiece. Yet that it is what it is today: an art deco classic.

There were in fact two dedication ceremonies. The first, on November 21, 1932, was sponsored by the county bar association, and attended by the bench and bar. Frank B. Kellogg, a member of the International Court of Justice, led off the ceremony. Most speakers who followed were nostalgic, recalling lawyers and judges of an earlier era---"the great men, big men, capable men, men of standing in the community...the great men of the yesterday," as one put it. The second ceremony on December 19 opened the building to the public. Thousands traipsed through it. The proceedings concluded with an address by William DeWitt Mitchell, Attorney General of the United States. He had a blunt message for the citizens of St. Paul: organized crime would not disappear with the end of prohibition. Local communities must assume the responsibility to combat "the rackets" and they could expect little assistance from the federal government, given the restrictions imposed by the constitution. However, not wanting to "bring a discordant note into this happy occasion" he reported that based on his confidential sources organized crime has not yet gained a substantial foothold" in the city, which had made progress "during the present year in the suppression of crime in all varieties."

A transcript of the speeches at the first ceremony was prepared by a court reporter, and can be found at the Historical Society. General Mitchell's complete address was reprinted in the St. Paul Pioneer Press on December 20th.

Stearns County Court House and Jail (1915).

Stearns County was formed February 20, 1855. After many starts and stops, its first courthouse was finished in 1864. In the following decades, as the county grew, its needs did also, but the county board would only authorize additions to the courthouse in the 1870s and 1880s. In 1915, the author of a county history described it as "one of the most ill-constructed, ill-looking and inconvenient court houses to be found in the state."

The first county jail was a "log structure" purchased in 1861. Four years later, a grand jury issued a report calling it "a perfect nuisance." In 1868, a new jail was erected. New cells were authorized in 1889 and 1898.

History of the Steele County Court House and Jail (1910).

Steele County was formed February 20, 1855. Thirty-seven years later, on March 14, 1892, construction of the county's first courthouse in Owatonna was completed. A county jail was built in the 1860s and lasted almost four decades. In 1903, a new jail, "representing the latest ideas in that class of construction," was built.

This history of the Steele County courthouse and jail appeared in the first volume of a joint history of Rice and Steele Counties published in 1910.

The First Court House of Todd County (1915)

Formed on February 20, 1855, Todd County's first courthouse was an existing, newly-mortared building in Long Prairie, which it received as a donation in 1870. Three years later, a new two-storied courthouse was built. In 1883, another courthouse, the county's third, was erected. In 1900, forty-five years after the county was formed, its first jail was built.

This history of the Todd County courthouse and jail appeared in a joint history of Morrison and Todd Counties published in 1915.

Waseca County Court House and Jail (1905).

Waseca County was formed February 27, 1857. Almost a half century later, James E. Child published his history of that county. Child was a lawyer-turned-journalist, state legislator, and Prohibition Party candidate for governor in 1886. Like many county historians of this period, his book consists of year-by-year accounts of interesting events in the county, most culled from newspapers.

This article contains Child's descriptions of various episodes in the history of the county courthouse and jail from 1869 to 1897.

Watonwan County Court Houses (1916).

Formed on February 25, 1860, Watonwan County leased space in commercial stores in Madelia to conduct government business until its first court house was erected in St. James, the new county seat, in 1895.

This history of Watonwan County's court houses appeared first in a joint history of Cottonwood and Watonwan Counties published in 1916.

History of the Wilkin County Courthouse. (1909)

Wilkin County was established March 6, 1868. Fourteen years later its courthouse was built in Breckenridge, the county seat. On New Year's Eve, 1882, it burned down, leaving taxpayers with a debt of about $40,000.

This brief account of that courthouse--or, more accurately of the courthouse debt--appeared first in a history of the Red River Valley published in 1909.

Early Courthouses of Winona County. (1913)

One week after Winona County was formed on February 23, 1854, its commissioners bought land for county buildings in Winona, the county seat. Construction, however, was delayed, forcing the county to rent space until 1862, when a new county building was constructed and occupied. Twenty years later, the commissioners authorized erection of a new courthouse, which was dedicated in 1887.

This account of the early courthouses of Winona County appeared in a county history published in 1913.

Wright County Jail and Courthouse (1880 & 1915).

In 1859 Wright County's first jail was built in Monticello, the county seat. Eight years later, however, the county seat was relocated to Buffalo, and the jail abandoned. On January 1, 1878, almost twenty-three years after the county was formed, county officials occupied a new courthouse in Buffalo.

The first history of the county jail and courthouse was written by Daniel Ross Farnham and published in 1880. The second appeared in a county history edited by Franklyn Curtiss-Wedge and published in 1915. Both are posted in this article.

"Building a Court House in Yellow Medicine County" (1972)

Although Yellow Medicine City was the seat of Yellow Medicine County, a courthouse was built in Granite Falls in the spring of 1874. Voters approved a change of the county seat to Granite Falls in the November 1874 election. This is an excerpt from a county history published in 1972.