Auburn State prison was opened in 1816. It was the first prison to hold an execution by electric chair in 1890. Known as a maximum security prison, visitors would be charged a fee in order to raise funds for the facility. Auburn State Prison, now Auburn Correctional Facility, is the oldest prison still in use today.
The manuscript of Austin Reed was found in an estate sale in Rochester. Upon discovery, the document was sent to Yale University for authentication by English professor Caleb Smith and Christine McKay from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Manhattan.
Little Known Black History Fact: Austin Reed was originally published on blackamericaweb.com
