Welcome to The Old Capitol Prison blog.

Over the coming days, weeks, and months, I hope to explore, with you, the Old Capitol Prison, one of America's little known prisons for political prisoners or "prisoners of state" that existed during the American Civil War.

Originally built in 1815, the Old Capitol Prison initially served as a meeting place for the United States Senate and House of Representatives and was known as the "Brick Capitol." It was built by local businessmen, following the burning of the U.S. Capitol, in 1814, as a part of the War of 1812 between the United States and England, America's Second War of Independence. The gentlemen feared that the Federal government would choose this opportunity to move the nation's capital to another location and they would loose important governmental business.

This blog, while touching on sensitive issues regarding the United States Constitution, the powers of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches of the Federal Government, and the military vs. civil courts, is not intended to be a site to discuss current such issues. It is intended to focus on those issues as they existed, up to, during, and immediately following the American Civil War.