- Marquette County -

Upper Peninsula State House of Correction

and Branch Prison

The State House of Correction and Branch Prison, located two miles from Marquette, was established by Act No. 148, P. A. 1885. The legislature also appropriated $150,000 for its construction; the contract being awarded to Wahlman and Grip of Ishpeming who submitted a bid of $135,817.00. Construction began in July, 1886, and the new facility was opened to receive prisoners on June 25th, 1889. It had been established to provide the Upper Peninsula with a penal institution where prisoners sentenced from the counties composing it would be sent. Until 1893 the prison population included women who were afterwards sentenced to the Detroit House of Corrections.

Among the earliest inmates was Reimund Holzhay, also known as "Black Bart." At the age of 23 Holzhay went on a five month crime spree that made him the terror of two states. He held up pedestrians, waylayed stage coaches, and, when that became too tame, progressed to robbing trains. A stage coach robbery at Lake Gogebic went badly when a passenger resisted and was shot. Holzhay's criminal days ended at Republic on September 2, 1889, when he was recognized and captured by Marshal Glode and Justice of the Peace Weiser.

On November 23, 1977, the Marquette Branch Prison was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The imposing sandstone edifice, and beautifully landscaped floral gardens have made it a popular tourist destination despite its history of violence and bloodshed. Today the prison houses minimum/maximum security prisoners. Level I is surrounded by two chain link fences and an electronic detection system. The perimeter of Level V is protected by a twenty foot stone wall, razor-ribbon wire, electronic detection systems and is topped off with eight gun towers.