What is now called Auburn Correctional Facility has been open in Auburn since 1817; and it is the oldest continually operating prison in the country. Auburns claim to being the preeminent American prison is bolstered by its many firsts. Auburn was the first prison in the world to house convicts in individual cells and the first prison in the country to employ a chaplain and put a matron in charge of the women prisoners. Auburn Prison developed the widely duplicated system of inmate management that became known as the Auburn System; a totally silent regimen of forced labor and complete control. Auburn was the first prison to separate mentally unstable inmates from the general population and was the site of the worlds first use of the electric chair for capital punishment. The prison was at the front line of the prison reform movement in the early 20th century when Thomas Mott Osborne was voluntarily incarcerated and helped found the Mutual Welfare League in Auburn Prison in 1913.
#1724648 in eBooks 1999-03-28 1999-03-28File Name: B0093H49KI
Review
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful. Good. but too much focus on one areaBy Triple Moon Goddess IndianaI lived in Paterson for the first 28 years of my life. It is a varied and interesting city. It was the first planned industrial city (nicknamed Silk City)in the US. and was filled with textile mills of some sort or other.Some wove fabric. some manufactured silk ribbon. some manufactured dye. That is where most of this thin tome starts and stops. The falls and raceways were barely touched on . even though the Great Falls was the reason this industrial city ever came to be in the first place. The mills. falls. raceways. etc. however are NOT in the downtown. yet the mills take up most of this book on "downtown" Paterson.There is much more to the city. including the launching of the first manned sub. the second highest falls east of the Mississippi. Garrett Mountain Reserve which houses a castle built for a wealthy family. American Indian history. and a great fire. It is a birthplace of many famous people (Lou Costello is mentioned). and where the first motion pictures were made (at the railroad tracks at the foot of Garrett Mountain). which was a western about a train robbery.Paterson was home of a team from baseballs Negro League. the engine of the Spirit of St Louis was built there. and Colt (as in Colt revolvers) was located there. This is just the surface of Paterson. its history is much deeper.This book however pretty much concentrates on one thing. The labor strikes. It is true that Paterson was a catalyst in changing labor laws in this country. but that seems to be the theme of the book. I was very disappointed knowing the rich history of the city that was not even explored at all in this book. especially since they are not in the downtown area. It is one of the series of books that is published on old photographs. but still the focus on the labor issues was a bit too much with MUCH missing from the history of Paterson.Downtown Paterson was much more than the mills. and didnt really house the mills. they were not in the downtown area. and were spread all across the city. The downtown had many important buildings. businesses and stores that are on the National register of Historic places. The book doesnt even explore downtown well. I am not sure why a person with an obvious fascination with the labor mills and the strikes would write a book called "Downtown Paterson".This is a good book if you are interested in the labor issues that made our labor laws what they are today. otherwise. you will miss much of what Paterson really is about. and the amazing history and beauty that was the Silk City. Those who are looking to explore the old downtown. will see some of that here . but not half as much as mills and labor crowds / riots.
