Clinton Correctional Facility is a maximum-security New York state prison located in the Adirondack village of Dannemora. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "Dannemora," although it takes its name from its location in Clinton County. Its walls go right up to streets in Dannemora's main business district. A church built by inmates - St. Dismas - is located within the walls. It is sometimes referred to as "New York's Siberia" due to the co...
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Clinton Correctional Facility is a maximum-security New York state prison located in the Adirondack village of Dannemora. It is sometimes colloquially referred to as "Dannemora," although it takes its name from its location in Clinton County. Its walls go right up to streets in Dannemora's main business district. A church built by inmates - St. Dismas - is located within the walls. It is sometimes referred to as "New York's Siberia" due to the cold climate in Dannemora, and the isolation of the area. It is the largest maximum security prison and the third oldest prison in New York State.
Built in 1845, it originally served as a site where prisoners were used to work in local mines in both Dannemora and nearby Lyon Mountain. This enterprise would not be profitable, and by 1877, mining had ended, and the prisoners were put to work on other trades. With this change, the prison experienced growth, and in 1887 it was given new concrete walls more than 60 feet (18 m) tall that still stand....
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