Old Joliet Prison: Rare Photos

JOLIET, IL - We are now into our third consecutive week of a new Joliet Patch weekend feature, a snapshot in time, that looks back at the Joliet area's rich history. The photos in the series are furnished by the Joliet Area Historical Museum in downtown Joliet. Our series kicked off with rare photos from the Stateville Correctional Center on Route 53. Last weekend, we featured photos of the 1977 monstrous move of the 1880s-era Liebermann's Jewelers building, which was picked up and moved to its present-day location on North Ottawa Street. Today, we highlight the Old Joliet Prison along Joliet's Collins Street.

In two weeks, Saturday, August 25, the Joliet Chamber of Commerce will be throwing a huge party at the prison yard to commemorate the opening of the Old Joliet Prison as a new tourist stop for world-wide travelers. Only 3,000 tickets are being sold for the event which is a fund-raiser to cover the costs for ongoing building restoration efforts. The limestone prison dates back to the mid-1850s.

It's an amazing sight to see.

RELATED COVERAGE: Great Joliet Prison Break-In Tickets Still Available

RELATED COVERAGE: 'World's Toughest Prison': Rare Stateville Photos

RELATED COVERAGE: When Joliet Picked Up Liebermann's Jewelers

All images provided to Joliet Patch by the Joliet Area Historical Museum with permission to use