The black and white photo below is of the original Libby Prison along Canal Street in Richmond. All that remains in that location is one of the entrance ways and a plaque. The prison was originally built as a grocery and supplystore leased by Luther Libby from the North.
When the American Civil War began, Luther Libby was exiled by the Confederates and his building was used as a prison for captured Union officers.Almost all captured officers were processed through Libby Prison before being either held there or forwarded to other prisons like the infamous Andersonville in Georgia.
Being crammed in the filthy confines of straw mats, many prisoners who survived left weighing less than 100 pounds.
After the war, in 1898, the prison was dismantled and moved to Chicago and established as the Libby Prison National Museum and converted to acoliseumstyle auditorium for “circus style” events. A medieval style wall was addedto lure curious visitors. Even Jimi Hendrix and rock group Cream played here. The building was demolished in 1982.
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