Ayl e swor th St a t e Pr i son Fa rm

Located about one mile southwest of the town of Aylesworth was the Aylesworth State Prison Farm. Construction of the prison farmcommencedin1916and it began receiving prisoners in 1917. The prison farm consisted of 1664 acres of land in Marshall and Bryan Counties. Physically, the prison farmland ran from Aylesworth to the area of the current Roosevelt Bridge, west along Glasses Creek for about four miles. The Madill-Durant Rod and Gun Club bordered the prison on the east.

The prison consisted of a stockade, large stable where the guard horses and work muleswerekept,severalstorage buildings for crops and grains, an office, two mess halls with attached kitchens and sleeping quarters. All the buildings were single story wooden structures with concrete foundations. The stockade was used to encircle the prisoner quarters, the prisoner's mess and highrisk prisoners. One mess hall was outside the stockade and it served the guards and visitors. In addition to these buildings, the prison also included an extensive heating and electrical plant.

Trustee prisoners were allowed morefreedomandwere allowed outside the stockade to work the farm. Two large watch towers overlooked the stockade and each tower was manned with armed guards with .30 caliber rifles. The stockade was surrounded with a 14-foot-high barbed wire fence with two separate electric fences inside the 14-foot-high fence. Head countsweretakeneveryhour and if a prisoner was missing, a loud horn was sounded to warn the folks of Aylesworth of an escape.

The prison had a superintendent and 13 guards. The guards were attired in western clothing with wide brimmed hats. They each wore a gun belt with a revolver and each carried a .30 caliber rifle. Most had families that lived in and around Aylesworth but a few were single and they lived at the prison. Most provided their own horses. The total payroll for the prison was $1,500 per month.

The prison population was normally around 100 and all were Black except for one Mexican who cared for the blood hounds. Most of the prisoners were incarcerated for crimes ranging from stealing chickens to rape, and first-degree manslaughter. Many were repeat offenders. All the prisoners wore drab gray overalls with a jumper. Each prisoner had a job, ranging from cooking, to blacksmithing to farm labor. Prisoners that refused to work were usually handcuffed to a mule or post in the stockade and left out in the heat or cold, rain or snow, until they had a change of attitude. The prisoners were also hired out to locals on occasion for cutting trees, clearing brush, etc.

Upon the opening of the prison farm, there was a good deal of opposition from the residentsofAylesworth.Most were opposed from the start. Many out of fear of possible escapes and harm being done to residents...and some for racial reasons. There really had not been any blacks in Marshall County prior to this time. Many town folk refused to allow their children to play outside or stray too far from homebecauseoftheconcerns. In 1919, a group of men from Aylesworth traveled to Oklahoma City to meet with Governor James Robertson, to request that the prison farm be closed. The group stated as the main reason for the request was there were “too many negros” housed at the prison.

Toalleviatetheconcernsof the citizens, the prison began holding a 'community day' every Sunday at the prison. The idea for the 'community day' wasthe brainchild ofSuperintendent Dave Wright. The 'community day' or as some called it, 'visitation day' began with a meal for everyone in the community. The meal was prepared by the inmates and served to all who came. The meal usually consisted of a meat such as pork and sometimes beef, vegetables such as mashed potatoes, beans, tomatoes, peas, beets, cabbage and hot breads. Then a dessert of hot pie or melons. Also, it was one of the few times the folks were able to enjoy iced tea. For many people of Aylesworth, this was the biggest and best meal they had each week.

After the meal, the inmates would provide entertainment. This usually consisted of singing, jokes, stories, skits or small plays and performances including stringed instruments. But the most favored event for themenwereboxingmatches between the inmates.

Mostofthemusicandsinging was of negro spirituals. This gave the folks of Aylesworth a certain insight into the black inmates and a recognition that although there were differences there was one main commonality...a belief in God and spirituality. The prison Superintendent required that all inmates take part in some religious service each Sunday and that consisted of singing, preaching and witnessing. Some of those services were made a part of the presentations to the folks of Aylesworth.

TheSunday eventbecame sopopularthattheprisonhad to stop the big meal because so many attended. When the crowds became too large, the meal was no longer provided, but the prison continued to serve tea, coffee and desserts to go along with the entertainment.

In addition to the community day every Sunday, the prisoners were allowed to form a baseball team. The team became so proficient at baseball, that the prison would arrange games with various town teams and the prison team was then taken around the area to play other teams. One such were regular trips to Woodville to play the Woodville baseball team.Thesegameswerevery popular in the various communities and were attended by very large crowds.

When the land for the prison was purchased by the State in 1916, only a small portion had been broken out into land that was capable of cultivation. Once the prison opened in 1917, one of the duties of the prisoners was to clear more land for cultivation. Within eight years, about 55% of the land, or approximately 900 acres was in crop production. Because the land was in the river bottom of the Washita, the land was very fertile and highly productive. Clearing the land was very hard work and required a lot of heavy labor. Trees and brush were cleared, stumps and rocks weredugoutandremoved,all so the land could be plowed.

Crops grown were cane hay, prairie hay, oat hay, alfalfa hay, corn, cotton, potatoes, sweet potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, cabbage, peas, beets, radishes, okra, mustard, onions, black-eyed peas, snap beans and peanuts.

Neartheprisoncompound and along creek banks, fruit trees such as pears, peaches and apples were planted. The fruit from those trees was harvested and canned. Sorghum syrup was also produced.Itwasreportedlyof very high quality. However, noneoftheitemsharvestedat the Aylesworth State Prison Farm were sold to the public. It is reported that small amounts were sometimes given away to locals, but as a rule, none was for public consumption. The crops and fruits and livestock that were harvested from the prison farmweresolelyforusebythe state prison system for feeding, clothing and providing for prisoners across the state.

In addition to 900 or so acres of cultivated land, the farm also had 760 acres of pasturelandwherecattleand hogs were raised, grazed and then slaughtered for food. The pastureland was all fenced with barbed wire and bois d'arc post fences.

In1918,thegrossearnings of the farm reached $48,952 ($817,000 today) leaving a net of $19,139 ($320,000 today) after operating costs were deducted. The farm was an economic success for the state. In fact, in 1918, the several state prison farms across Oklahoma had gross earnings of $496,176. ($8.3 million today). Economically, the Aylesworth State Prison Farm was a tremendous success and an economic boom for the state prison system, helping to offset the cost of operation.

Despite early opposition to the prison farm, the residents of Aylesworth became adjusted to the presence of the prison and enjoyed the weekly public events. That is until one fateful day in 1921 when an area woman was attacked by an escapee while doing her washing in a spring near her home outside of Aylesworth.

While no public records exist that confirm the incident, years later, a former guard at the prison revealed that the escapee sexually assaulted and then murdered thewoman. The guardstated that following the discovery of crime, several men from Aylesworth formed a posse and began a search for the killer. He was quickly caught, boundandthendrugbehinda horseforsomegreatdistance. In their rage, the townsfolk then took the man to a tall pecan tree just south of Aylesworth where he was hanged. His body was then left for several days to illustrate the rage of the area residents.

This sexual assault and murder had a profound effect on the folks of the area. From that point forward, no one felt safe in or around their homes. This fear and unrest led to a devaluation of property in the entire area even as far as Kingston. The loss of public support, and the anger of the public led the State to make the decision to close and dispose of the prison farm. It was determined that the cost of operation of the prison exceeded its economic benefit. On February 8, 1925, the decision was made to close the Aylesworth State Prison Farm. By March 16, 1925, all the prisoners had been relocated to the State Penitentiary in McAlester.

On March 16, 1925, the Oklahoma State Senate passed Joint Resolution 18. This Act provided for the sale of the lands of the farm at public sale. The Act specified that the prison farm would be divided into 24 tracts of land, the largest being 80 acres. On July 17, 1925, the State Board of Public Affairs executed and filed of record, a plat for the prison land, dedicating all roads to the public in perpetuity.

Purchasers of the prison lands were allowed to use the land for five years without any payment. Then after five years, equal payments were to be made for thirtyfive years. The interest rate was 5%. However, because of the Great Depression of the 1930s, most of the landowners defaulted on their mortgages.

In 1941, the State Legislature passed Senate Bill 199. This Bill provided for the disposaloftwotractsthathad neverbeensold,andthelands that were reclaimed after the purchases had defaulted. At a Sheriff's sale on September 29, 1941, John and Bertha Marshall of Grayson County, Texas purchased 805 acres for$20,820.Thatwouldmake the per acre price about $25. Interestingly, the Marshall's sold all but a few acres to the Army Corp of Engineers on December 30, 1941, for the constructionofLakeTexoma. They owned the land for just 90 days. They turned a profit, but it is uncertain how much. The prison cemetery was relocated to its present site in Section 18, Township 6 South, Range 6 East in Marshall County. The cemetery was composed of nine graves marked only with rocks. A metal marker with a brass plate was placed at the new cemetery that stated that the persons buried in each grave were unknown. The persons buried there are known only to God. Among those buried there is the inmate that escaped and raped and murdered the Aylesworth woman. Two others were killed during an escape attempt. One from illness, and one killed in a prison fight. The cause of death of the others is unknown.

Time has all but erased any evidence of the prison farm. The waters of Lake Texoma have covered most of the town of Aylesworth and the prison. In the cove to the left of the Bridgeview Resort boat ramp, portions of the foundations of the stockade and stables are still visible. And when the lake is low, concrete steps and other foundations of the prison are also visible. And, some of the old fruit trees still grow along the shore of the lake providing fruit for the birds and wildlife in the area.