MCI
December 18th, 2006
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I’m familiar with the front view of the MCI women’s prison in Framingham across from the old GM plant but I never really think that much of it other than it doesn’t help Framingham’s “social service central†reputation. I’ve never heard of anyone escaping and I may be ignorant, but it seems to keep to it’s self. Still, it figures the prison is in Framingham, not in a surrounding town and I’m not sure what it costs tax payers to maintain this operation.
Recently I went on a back road that took me behind the prison and was interested to see there was an older building on the property that I never noticed before.
Ethan did a little research and saw that this used to be the old Reformatory Prison for Women on the town of Sherborn’s property. In 1924 Sherborn gifted Framingham 575 acres which included the prison. Nice gift : ) Â
Just thought that was interesting.
I wonder if anyone knows why Sherborn gifted the property to Framingham. My guess would be as the facility grew in use, it needed the water/sewer system tie in that Framingham had? That it was closer to Framinghams’s fire protection might be another? And did Sherborn truley gift it or was it just decreed by the Gov, House, or Senate.
Might be time for some long awaited restitution.
Comment by Rich December 18, 2006 @ 3:55 pm
the whole annexation thing is explained here:
http://home.comcast.net/~edwperry/1974History_vb.htm
it’s apparently an online book from 1974 about history of sherborn.
it’s actually pretty interesting to know that it had been an issue way before 1924 when the annexation was ratified. at least, that s what i gathered from that very very long read.
Comment by hcapet December 19, 2006 @ 8:15 pm
good stuff. thanks
There was NIMBYism back then!
However, a few days before their June third Town Meeting to vote on the matter, Framingham sentiment had definitely turned against the proposition, for people there had been seriously considering the possible expense involved in sewerage construction
The referendum was soundly defeated by Framingham and the question was left to fester and plague the towns for another 34 years.
Comment by Rich December 19, 2006 @ 8:52 pm
Cliffs notes:
lots of sherborn residents established themselves in the north of sherborn working in south framingham, so there was kinda an underlying problem with sewage and water and possibly goodies that the town of sherborn couldn’t deliver. the 2 towns agreed on the annexation, there was even a referendum to make sure. annexation was then ratified by the state and there we go framingham gets bigger and everybody is happy. there was a failed attempt at annexation like 50 years earlier. this stuff goes back to the 1700s when some north sherborn families (17) went from being sherborn resident to framingham resident.
Comment by hcapet December 19, 2006 @ 8:56 pm
haha, 34 years earlier then. thanks Rich.
Comment by hcapet December 19, 2006 @ 8:57 pm
note that it was framingham that actually took care of the sewer/water piping for the reformatory. not sherborn.
Comment by hcapet December 19, 2006 @ 9:01 pm
Another reason Some in Sherborn did not want to give up the prison. My how times have changed!!
”
He presented many arguments for not giving up this acreage on which lived one third of the total population of Sherborn. One of his reasons was that the Women’s Reformatory, whose lands were included in the 575 acres, “is of some value as an advertising medium to the town of Sherborn and the honor which is conferred upon the town by possessing the only female reformatory in the world is of no small importance.”
”
In hindsight, the Framingham 8 may have been as well known (for a while) as the Framingham Heart Study. Ok, maybe I’m streching the truth.
Comment by Rich December 19, 2006 @ 9:18 pm
Long time watcher, first time poster…
I had the very unusual oppportunity to tour MCI Framingham just last week, as it is rare for civillians to be allowed in except for visitation.
It was fascinating to see the inside, and to speak candidly with guards and some prisoners as well. The strangest part of the tour was the old building basement, known fittingly as the dungeon. It was a surreal scene, there are five metal tables with stirrups on them. According to the guards, they were the abortion tables. Women were frequently sentenced to prison for pregnancy out of wedlock, and when they first arrived the pregnancies were terminated. It was a very medivial looking scene, very strange to see it right here in Framingham.
The rest of the tour was very interesting. The facility seems very well run. I was very glad to have the rare opportunity. Don’t pass it up if you ever get the chance, it was eye opening and made me very happy that I made the life decisions that I did when I was a teenager, as it easily could have gone the other way.
Comment by Bob January 16, 2007 @ 6:23 pm
i was an imate at this prison, to this day many women incarserated believe this place to be haunted. it does not seem to be a prison at all but a camp.but with all that aside the old buildings are falling apart. and i saw many old papers about women that were put there for talking back to their husbands etc.there was also said to be a grave yard for young babies that have died there. it was also said the the mob once owned the prison. there are many stories involved about this prison. i went there because i got into a fight. glad it wasnt a life sentence.
Comment by dawn March 17, 2008 @ 12:34 am