Stations of the Cross Exhibit Extended at Workhouse Museum

A display of several of the wooden hand-carved Stations of the Cross, that was the center-piece of Lorton's Workhouse Prison Museum's seasonal Easter attraction, has been extended until the end of May.

On loan from Fairfax County, the Stations once hung in the prison chapel at the Reformatory. Each Station is depicted on a single slab of pine wood approximately 24 inches in height, 18 inches in width and 2 inches in depth. Intricately carved in relief, the unknown inmate artist skillfully sculpted such features as individual fingers, spears and a ladder that seems suspended in space. Visitors seem amazed at the artistry of the carvings and the exhibit has been well received overall, according to museum docents.

It is thought that the wood for the Stations was harvested on the prison grounds and cut to their specific size at the Workhouse sawmill. The chapel in which they hung for over forty years is now abandoned and part of the Laurel Hill adaptive reuse area that is planned for residential, commercial, retail and office use beginning in 2014.

No plans have yet been made for the future of the chapel, however. According to a spokesman for the Alexander Company, the developer in charge of the property, they are exploring ways to reuse the chapel but have not come up with anything yet.

When Fairfax County took possession of the prison property in 2002, in addition to all of buildings, responsibility for the contents of those buildings was also included.

For several years the chapel sat undisturbed until community activists lobbied the county to preserve the artifacts stored in the chapel. In addition to the Stations, there was a magnificent Crucifix created by prisoners and altar implements such as chalices, communion cups, altar candle holders, host bowls and small altar crosses. County staff, along with cultural resources specialists from the Fairfax County Park Authority, painstakingly cataloged the contents of the chapel and the items are now stored in an appropriate controlled environment at county archives.

A total of fourteen Stations were taken from the chapel but with limited space only eight are currently on display at the museum. Some still have the original chain attached by which they were hung on the chapel’s brick walls.

The chapel was designed and built by prisoners with brick manufactured at the prison brickyard. The story of how the chapel was created, along with photos and a display about the Chaplain who was the driving force behind building of the chapel, complete the exhibit.

The Workhouse Prison Museum at Lorton is located in Building 9 at the , 9601 Ox Road, Lorton, VA.

The hours are Wednesday through Friday from 12:00 -3:00 p.m and Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 to 4:00 p.m. The museum tells the story, in photos and artifacts, of the prison since its establishment in Lorton in 1910.

A special long-term exhibit chronicles the Suffragists incarceration and cruel treatment by their jailers in 1917, while pressing for the right to vote by women in America. A team of knowledgeable docents lead tours of the museum and are always willing to answer questions on the history and heritage of the prison facilities and the surrounding area.