The Rock, former Florida State Prison at Union CI near Raiford, is being demolished to make room for construction of new prison space. The old building, deemed too expensive to restore, falls victim to the wrecking ball.

"Even a 6,000 pound wrecking ball didn't make a dent in The Rock's walls when demolition started in January," reported The Gainesville Sun. "The ball just bounced off," Corrections Captain R.B. Branham said. "It took three or four hits before it finally broke through destroying the kitchen named after Lula Blitch, a former superintendent's wife."

Close up of crumbling masonry at the Rock.

Union Correctional Institution is the oldest prison in Florida and is located on an 18,000 acre tract of land purchased by the Florida Legislature between 1909 and 1912 at $5.00 per acre.

The first buildings were erected in 1913 as temporary stockades to house inmates who could not be leased to private businesses. At that time the institution, called the State Prison Farm, had buildings to accommodate a superintendent, correctional employees and 500-600 inmates, both male and female.

Photo of cell lock.

By 1919 the Farm property consisted of 4,000 acres under cultivation, pastures, a garment factory, a shoe factory which made 10 pairs of shoes per day, and 40 correctional officers who were paid $35 per month with room and board.

In 1923 Governor Hardee discontinued the system of leasing inmates. As a result, the number of inmates at the prison increased. For the first time all convicted felons were sent to prison instead of being leased to private businesses, such as phosphate mining, turpentine, etc.

The license tag factory was built in 1927 and the Main Housing Unit (the Rock) in 1928. The original structure consisted of an administrative building, office space and dormitory space for 200 inmate "trustees." Later, two three story cell houses, a mess hall, auditorium and library were added. By 1932 the inmate population numbered more than 200 men and women.