By William “Skip” Deegans
Shown in the undated photo is the Mill Point Federal Prison Camp. It was located near what is now the Cranberry Mountain Visitors Center, about 7 miles west of Mill Point, Pocahontas County. The minimum security camp for men opened in 1938 and could house 300 inmates. There were no fences or walls. Since it was so remote there were few attempts to escape. The prisoners were employed to build a road through the Monongahela National Forest for the Federal Bureau of Public Roads. The road (now WV 39) ran from Mill Point to Richwood. In addition to road building, the camp operated a logging operation, and prisoners were engaged to fight forest fires.
When the camp first opened, many of the prisoners were moonshiners. At the camp they worked during the day, and in the evening they had opportunities to take classes in electricity, welding, carpentry, and cabinet making. Prisoners who were deficient in reading and writing were required to attend reading classes. By 1944, most of the prisoners were conscientious objectors (COs) who were opposed to World War II and had violated the Selective Service Act. Many of them were Jehovah’s Witnesses, and the COs helped teach other prisoners to read.
In an interesting article about the camp in Goldenseal magazine, Maureen Crockett included a relationship between it and the women’s prison in Alderson. The inmates in Alderson did the laundry for the camp, and the men and women would tuck notes to each other in shirt pockets. The camp closed in 1959 and was deconstructed. There is little evidence on the ground indicating the camp ever existed.
Sources: Goldenseal, Pocahontas Times, The Daily Progress.