The Incredible Prison In Illinois That Has Been Left In Ruins
By Tori Jane|Published March 27, 2024
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Tori Jane
Author
Tori Jane is a storm chaser, writer, photographer, and the village idiot - in that order. When she's not out and about dancing with the meanest storms on planet Earth for funsies she can be found wandering, shooting landscapes, writing, editing photos, and otherwise up to no good. Legend has it that she can also be occasionally spotted typing up short bios in the third person, but those rumors are unsubstantiated.
Let’s time travel today, shall we? First, we’ll head to the small city of Joliet, Illinois where we’ll take a look at one incredible building that has, for lack of better terms, been left to decay for more than 20 years. Known nowadays as Old Joliet Prison, this old place was once called many things: the Illinois State Penitentiary, the Joliet Penitentiary, and a few others. This incredible abandoned prison in Illinois is an urban explorer’s dream come true, and nowadays, you can even tour it (legally!). Of all the awesome abandoned places in Illinois, it’s amazing that this one doesn’t get more press.
Originally built way back in 1858, this prison has a long and, (at times), dark history that spanned for well over a century.
During the American Civil War, this place was used for holding both prisoners and prisoners of war. By 1872, the population of the place was already higher than any single prison in the nation.
However, despite the rapidly growing population, the prison dragged its feet on modernizing for quite some time.
By 1910, there still wasn't any running water or working toilets, and in 1917, another prison was built for inmates to transfer to... until they simply didn't.
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The two prisons would remain open in close proximity to one another until Joliet closed in 2002.
During its time, the prison saw several notorious inmates, such as Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold, and unfortunately, over the decades, there were several bloody incidents that took the lives of prisoners and guards alike.
The structure was left to decay, vulnerable to the brutal tests of time, until 2018, when the Joliet Area Historical Museum began running tours of the place to a very eager public.
What had for many years been accessed only by the bravest of urban explorers was now open for safe and legal exploration, causing a boom in visitor interest.
I strongly encourage anyone who's able to: do one of the amazing self-guided tours! You get to wander the premises for just $20 (kiddoes aged three to 12 are $10). As of the time of this writing, the North Segregation Building, the inmate cafeteria, and the East Cell House are open to explore.
In 2023, Old Joliet Prison was finally added to the National Register of Historic places.
For more about this incredible abandoned prison in Illinois turned tourist delight, be sure to visit the official Old Joliet Prison website. If you need a place to stay while you’re exploring Joliet, be sure to visit our friends at Hotels.com.
