Workhouse Arts Center

 For 91 years the workhouse, originally known as the Occoquan Workhouse, was a prison. It was planned as a self-sustaining facility where non-violent inmates could learn job skills in the cannery, foundry, tailor shop, bakery, electrical, farm, and culinary arts departments. The red brick prison complex with a grassy center courtyard was constructed by the prisoners of bricks made in the kilns that they also built. A festival was being held on the grounds the day we visited. 

 By the 1970s the prison had become overcrowded and dangerous as prisoners guilty of serious crimes were moved to the complex. Starting in 1995, inmates were gradually transferred to other facilities. The last one left in November 2001 and the property was sold to Fairfax County, Virginia. The buildings on the main prison campus now house art studios, art galleries, class spaces, and a small museum. A golf course has been constructed on the grounds and another prison complex has been renovated into one and two bedroom apartments. 

We visited the small Lorton Prison Museum which has exhibits about the changes of the prison over the years plus an exhibit on an unusual group of prisoners - dozens of suffragists who were arrested in 1917 after picketing the White House. They were kept for two weeks in unsanitary conditions with inadequate food and violent guards. The museum is free but for a few dollars visitors can take a guided tour of a cell block. There's not a lot to see in the cell block but the stories are interesting. 

We also visited the galleries at the Arts Center. 

Buildings W-5 through W-10 house artist's studios. They're opened to visitors if there's an artist on site so we checked one out. The art is beautiful with a wide range of mediums and techniques. All the studio doors stay open so we could peek in. 

Most of the service buildings are in disrepair and are not being used but visitors are welcome to explore the grounds. The paved paths and roads are accessible but wheelchair users may need assistance on hilly or uneven sections.  

The buildings are all accessible with sidewalks and paved paths in the courtyard.

 

The parking lot is large enough for any vehicle. Museum  38.69945, -77.25428