A Digital Bibliography of SCI-Graterford

Spring 1923

• Following repeated disturbances at Eastern State Penitentiary, the new board of directors, chaired by Alfred Fleisher, decides to replace the aging Fairmount Avenue institution with a "modern" facility outside the city.

1924-1925

• Governor Gifford Pinchot, an environmentalist, pushes for the prison to be built on "worthless" land in Pike County. A commission is appointed, empowering the legislature to spend up to $300,000 to purchase nearly 2,000 acres of farmland for the new facility.

1926

• After a tour of the proposed site in Skippack Township, local residents protest the construction of the prison. Despite opposition, the state reaches settlements with 37 owners, purchasing 43 deeds and 62 tracts of land, totaling 1,743 acres for $301,091.18.

1927

• Initial appropriation of $750,000 is granted for construction.
• The Pennsylvania Department of Welfare takes possession of the land. Former owners are allowed to harvest the final crops until December 1, 1927.
• Construction of the sewage system begins. The prison wall is the first aboveground structure to be built.

1928

• The architectural firm Zimmerman, Saxe, and Zimmerman, known for designing the Illinois State Penitentiary at Joliet, is selected to design Graterford.
• A modified "telegraph pole" design is chosen, with eight parallel two-story cell blocks attached to a quarter-mile-long main corridor.
  • Each cell block will hold 400 individual cells, with a total capacity of 3,200 men.
  • Separate dining areas for each block are included to prevent large gatherings, and industrial workshops are planned to keep men working daily.
• A work gang of incarcerated men, supervised by Captain Elmer Leithiser, begins clearing the land for construction. The men are housed in a converted farmhouse and tents within a stockade. Guard towers are installed at each corner, and a searchlight sweeps the camp at night.
• Eight sides of the nonagon wall are completed, leaving one side open for access. The wall spans over a mile and encloses 62 acres of land.

1929

• Construction officially begins. A bill is introduced requesting an additional $5 million for construction.
• By this time, there is a workforce of 406 incarcerated laborers and 50 guards. Willard "Hook" Townsend, a carpenter, works on A-Block.
• Incarcerated laborers work from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, with leisure time in the evenings. They are shown weekly movies and play baseball games, often followed by jazz concerts.

1928

• Eastern State Penitentiary's warden publicly announces that Graterford will be "modern in every respect," with the facility designed as a modern maximum-security prison to absorb overflow from Eastern State and other facilities.The prison becomes known as Eastern State’s "farm branch."

1929

• Graterford officially opens. Incarcerated people grow corn and hay, tend cattle, and manage a pheasant hatchery.