| Back to e-WV
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
| Back to e-WV
The West Virginia Encyclopedia
The Huttonsville Correctional Center is a medium-security state prison. It is located near the town of Huttonsville, south of Elkins in Randolph County, on farmland once owned by descendants of some of the earliest settlers of the upper Tygart Valley. The center was founded in 1937 as part of the West Virginia penitentiary system. Established to relieve crowding at the state penitentiary at Moundsville, it became a separate institution in 1947.
Huttonsville inmates, varying in number from 240 to almost 900, have been for many years employed in general farm work. The prison is located on 68 acres, with almost 5,000 adjoining acres cultivated or used for grazing land under the ownership of the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and supervised by the West Virginia Farm Commission. Prison labor produces corn, potatoes, hogs, and beef cattle for distribution to other institutions under state control. Inmates also build furniture and operate a Braille publishing service that transcribes textbooks into Braille for distribution throughout the United States.
The prison now serves as a diagnostic and classification center for pre-sentence evaluation for placing the prisoners at the state prison at Mount Olive in Fayette County or for retention at Huttonsville. Huttonsville inmates take part in educational and vocational programs, leading to GED certificates and college credit.
Written by Donald L. Rice
Comstock, Jim, ed. West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia vol. 11. Richwood: Jim Comstock, 1976.
Kek, Anna D. Randolph County Profile, 1976: A Handbook of the County. Parsons: McClain, 1976.
West Virginia Blue Book. State of West Virginia. Charleston, 1972.