Alongside the Hudson River, a 130-acre site on the Hudson River was purchased for $20,100. This site became what is now known as the Sing Sing Correctional Facility. By May of 1825, over one hundred convicted criminals were transported to Mount Pleasant, and there was not a place to receive them.

In order to begin the construction of the 1825 Cellblock, the prisoners were required to excavate marble from the nearby marble quarry. On November 26^th, 1828, the facility opened and the convicts occupied their cells for the first time. Even though the facility opened, prisoners continued to mine marble to construct other facilities—Lyndhurst, New York University, Grace Church, the New York State Capitol Building and the Treasury Building. Furthermore, the prisoners built a hospital and kitchen in 1830.

Punishment at the Sing Sing Prison followed what was known as the Auburn System. In this form of punishment, prisoners were confined to solitary cells at night and were required to work silently during the day. Furthermore, the prison developed a method of controlling and moving inmates throughout the prison grounds. This method was known as the lockstep method. Prisoners would walk with downcast eyes, lockstep marching, as well as, absolute silence with no communication between prisoners.

The Auburn system, which defined the way in which Sing Sing runs, was eventually adopted by other prisons, which were being built or were looking to change their ways. However, this method was eventually questioned and others began to develop after it. Today, Sing Sing remains one of the most used prisons in the country.

Sources:

"About Sing Sing Prison." Sing Sing Prison Museum. Accessed February 19, 2019. http://www.singsingprisonmuseum.org/about-sing-sing-prison.html.

Sullivan, Larry E. "Prison Reform from Its Origins to 1890." In The Prison Reform Movement: Forlorn Hopee, 1-23. Boston, MA: Twayne Publishers, 1990.