Included in a recent Speechless Sunday post was the photo on the right. The question was did anyone know what this is? A few people were on an interesting track when they said incinerator and jail. The photo shows the only remaining brick kiln used by inmates at the DC Reformatory formerly located in Lorton VA to produce the bricks used to build many of the structures and walkways at the reformatory.
In 1925 the brick kilns were considered some of the best on the east coast and in 1927 it is estimated the inmates made over 4.2 million bricks. The kilns were located on the banks of the Occoquan River making it easier for bricks not used for the reformatory to be sold and shipped to DC. Bricks were used to build a number of buildings in DC include Cardoza HS on Clifton Street NW now on the National Register of Historic Places.
In addition to the paving the way with the bricks produced at the kiln the DC Reformatory at Lorton also helped pave the way for the passage of the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution.
Today the remaining brick kiln and a memorial to the Woman Suffergists are located in Occoquan Regional Park located on the edge of the Occoquan River. Stop by to enjoy not only the waterfront park but learn more about how inmates helped pave the way to a new future in Lorton VA.
The first parade to bring recognition to the woman's rights movement took place in Washington DC on March 9, 1913 with over 5000 participants marching on Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration day. In 1917 the first women arrested in our area were sent to the DC Reformatory in Lorton. It was reported that they were physically abused, force fed and made to live in filthy conditions. It was the action of these women housed a the reformatory between 1916 and 1920 which helped bring about the 19th amendment to the Constitution giving women the right to vote.
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