Product Description
by Larae Liddle (Author)
In 1853 settlers came to McNeil Island in the Puget Sound in Washington State. They farmed the land and set up a town. In 1875 a farmer sold his land to the Federal Government for a Territorial Prison in 1891 Washington Territory became Washington State and the Territorial Prison became a US Penitentiary. By 1938 the Federal Government owned the rest of the island. The prison started a cemetery around 1879. It was next to the first building built as a Penitentiary, By 1904 the another building was needed. The best place was were the Cemetery was, so the bodies were disinterred and moved to the current prisoner cemetery on the island along with other prisoner from 1904 to 1972 . The settlers also started a cemetery in 1904. In 1937 and 1938 the Federal Government made arrangements with the families of the people buried there to be disinterred and moved to a cemetery of the families choosing. This book tells us were the settlers are now buried and who the prisoners are in the McNeil Island Cemetery also name Hillcrest Cemetery. The island is not open at he public to visit. This US Penitentiary is known as the forgotten US Penitentiary. because no one famous were there. I hope this book will help families find their missing relative and let them be remembered so we can learn from their stories.
