Built in 1862, the Nevada State Prison was once the second-oldest operating prison in the country. When it closed its doors 150 years later in 2012, the future of the sandstone structure looked grim.
Preservationists in Carson City, however, had plans for the building. And during this legislative session, a bill was passed to turn those plans into reality – for the Nevada State Prison to become a museum.
AB 377 set up three different funds for operation and maintenance of the historic aspects of the prison. Glen Whorton, a retired Nevada Corrections Department official and head of the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society, acknowledged that the building has much work to be done to ensure it is up to codes before it can be open to the public.
Glen Whorton, president, Nevada State Prison Preservation Society