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Elmira Prison

Low
Verified 29 May 2026
Fresh · 1d ago

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Photograph of Elmira Prison

Gallery

From Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-SA where not otherwise stated).

  • Elmira Prison, Elmira, New York LCCN2012647765.jpg

    Photo by Moulton & Larkin, photographer via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  • Elmira rendezvous, long may it wave LCCN2010652104.jpg

    Photo by Gladstone Collection of African American Photographs via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  • Elmira, New York (1882736106).jpg

    Photo by Jayu from Harrisburg, PA, U.S.A. via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

  • Rebel pen - Moulton & Larkin, photographers, 114, 116 & 118 Water Street. LCCN2016647907.jpg

    Photo by Moulton & Larkin, photographer via Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

  • Rebel Prison at Elmira, 1865. (26921765666).jpg

    Photo by SMU Central University Libraries via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)

  • The photographic history of the Civil War - in ten volumes (1911) (14782716533).jpg

    Photo by Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)

  • The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14576177549).jpg

    Photo by Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)

  • The photographic history of the Civil War - thousands of scenes photographed 1861-65, with text by many special authorities (1911) (14760405884).jpg

    Photo by Internet Archive Book Images via Wikimedia Commons (No restrictions)

Background

Elmira Prison was originally a barracks for "Camp Rathbun" or "Camp Chemung", a key muster and training point for the Union Army during the American Civil War, between 1861 and 1864. The 30-acre (120,000 m2) site was selected partially due to its proximity to the Erie Railroad and the Northern Central Railway, which crisscrossed in the midst of the city. The Camp fell into disuse as the war progressed, but its "Barracks #3" was converted into a military prison in the summer of 1864. It was the prison holding the largest number of Confederate POWs. Its capacity was 4,000, but it held 12,000 within one month of opening.

Source: Wikipedia article lead, CC-BY-SA.

Capacity

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Current population

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Occupancy

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Year opened

1864

Operational

Facility profile

Operator

Union Army

Population held

Mixed/unknown

Opened

1864

Region

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Security level

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Death-row facility

No

Conditions

No conditions summary available yet.

Visiting

No visiting information available.

Mailing

No mailing information available.

Practical info

Contact the operator's website for inmate-specific procedures.

Known issues

No major issues documented in our database.

Contact & address

No public contact details available.

Conditions Risk Score

Derived signal — not a judgement. How it's calculated

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Insufficient data
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Data completeness

14%

How many of our profile fields are populated. We surface this so families and researchers know the limits.

Sources