Indiana Industrial School for Girls photograph album
Collection — Box: P078
Identifier: P078
Scope and Contents
This collection comrpises a photograph album from the Indiana Industrial School for Girls in Indianapolis, Indiana circa 1907, regarding the institution, its inmates and staff, and the building and its various rooms.
Dates
- circa 1907
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Legal title, copyright, and literary rights reside with Rare Books and Manuscripts, Indiana State Library, Indianapolis, IN. All requests to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted to Rare Books and Manuscripts.
Administrative History
The Indiana Reformatory Institution for Women and Girls (later the Reform School for Girls and Woman's Prison) was constructed on 10-acres at the corner of New York and Randolph streets in Indianapolis, opening in 1873. It was the first female correctional institution in the United States and housed both adults and children. The Indiana General Assembly split the organization on February 7, 1899, creating the Indiana Woman's Prison and the Indiana Industrial School for Girls.
As of 1899, the industrial school had a primary school, where students attended all day, and a grammar or intermediate school, where the girls attended for half the day. The girls were also employed in industrial classes and departments, where they learned skills to help them with future employment and also served the institution. There were sewing classes for different skill levels, including dressmaking, as well as housework, laundry, baking and canning, and administrative work.
After several years of urging from the prison's board, the legislature finally granted permission to build a separate facility for female juvenile inmates. Located at 2596 North Girls School Road, the Indiana Industrial School for Girls (later the Indiana Girls' School) opened its doors in 1907 with 212 girls from 12 to 18 years-old transferred from the women's prison. Charlotte Dye was the first superintendent of the facility. Girls sent to the school could be there for a number of offenses, including using bad language, smoking cigarettes at school, patronizing saloons, trespassing, or visiting gambling dens.
In 1996, the facility was renamed the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility. It always housed female inmates, except for a period during 2006-2007 when juvenile male offenders were also assigned to the campus. In 2009, the girls were relocated to the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility (which closed in 2017), to make way for the Indiana Women's Prison to move in.
Sources:
Item in the collection.
Becker, Krystal. "Family Tree: The Indiana Girl’s School." Historic Indianapolis, February 2, 2013. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://historicindianapolis.com/family-tree-the-indiana-girls-school.
Indiana Industrial School for Girls. Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana Industrial School for Girls and the Indiana Woman's Prison. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Burford, 1899-1904.
Fischer, Jessica Erin. "Indiana Women's Prison." Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, 2021. Revised March 2021. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://indyencyclopedia.org/indiana-women-s-prison.
Mitchell, Dawn. "How the Oldest Women's Prison in the Country Came to Be." IndyStar, June 21, 2017. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2017/06/21/how-oldest-womens-prison-country-came/415736001.
Wikipedia. "Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility." Wikipedia.com. Accessed February 13, 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_Juvenile_Correctional_Facility.
As of 1899, the industrial school had a primary school, where students attended all day, and a grammar or intermediate school, where the girls attended for half the day. The girls were also employed in industrial classes and departments, where they learned skills to help them with future employment and also served the institution. There were sewing classes for different skill levels, including dressmaking, as well as housework, laundry, baking and canning, and administrative work.
After several years of urging from the prison's board, the legislature finally granted permission to build a separate facility for female juvenile inmates. Located at 2596 North Girls School Road, the Indiana Industrial School for Girls (later the Indiana Girls' School) opened its doors in 1907 with 212 girls from 12 to 18 years-old transferred from the women's prison. Charlotte Dye was the first superintendent of the facility. Girls sent to the school could be there for a number of offenses, including using bad language, smoking cigarettes at school, patronizing saloons, trespassing, or visiting gambling dens.
In 1996, the facility was renamed the Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility. It always housed female inmates, except for a period during 2006-2007 when juvenile male offenders were also assigned to the campus. In 2009, the girls were relocated to the Madison Juvenile Correctional Facility (which closed in 2017), to make way for the Indiana Women's Prison to move in.
Sources:
Item in the collection.
Becker, Krystal. "Family Tree: The Indiana Girl’s School." Historic Indianapolis, February 2, 2013. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://historicindianapolis.com/family-tree-the-indiana-girls-school.
Indiana Industrial School for Girls. Annual Report of the Board of Trustees of the Indiana Industrial School for Girls and the Indiana Woman's Prison. Indianapolis: Wm. B. Burford, 1899-1904.
Fischer, Jessica Erin. "Indiana Women's Prison." Encyclopedia of Indianapolis, 2021. Revised March 2021. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://indyencyclopedia.org/indiana-women-s-prison.
Mitchell, Dawn. "How the Oldest Women's Prison in the Country Came to Be." IndyStar, June 21, 2017. Accessed February 13, 2023. https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2017/06/21/how-oldest-womens-prison-country-came/415736001.
Wikipedia. "Indianapolis Juvenile Correctional Facility." Wikipedia.com. Accessed February 13, 2013. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indianapolis_Juvenile_Correctional_Facility.
Extent
0.3 Cubic Feet (1 flat box)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
This collection consists of one item.
Custodial History
This collection was received by Rare Books and Manuscripts as a records transfer from Indiana Division on 2018/09/05.
Accruals
No further additions are expected.
Processing Information
Collection processing completed 2023/02/13 by Brittany Kropf. EAD finding aid created 2023/02/13 by Brittany Kropf.
- Title
- Indiana Industrial School for Girls photograph album
- Status
- Completed
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Repository
Contact:
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
140 North Senate Avenue
Indianapolis, Indiana 46204 U.S.A.
317-232-3671
