August 19, 2026 

The Honorable Maura T. Healey, Governor 

Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll 

Senator Peter Durant 

Representative Kimberly Ferguson 

Senator Jo Comerford 

Anne Gobi, Director of Rural Affairs 

Sent via email 

RE: Urgent Request to Intercede on Behalf of the Rutland Prison Camp Ruins 

Dear Governor Healey, Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll, Senator Peter Durant, Representative Kimberly Ferguson, and Director Ann Gobi: 

On behalf of the Rutland Select Board and the Rutland Historical Commission, we are writing to request your immediate intervention to prevent the imminent demolition of the Rutland Prison Camp ruins, a site of significant historical value to our town and to the Commonwealth. 

As you may be aware, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) informed the Historical Commission by letter dated August 17, 2026, of its plan to substantially alter the remaining structures at the site — the Root Cellar and the Solitary Cell Block (Prison Cells) — including removing the upper walls of the cell block to a height of 3-4 feet and filling the root cellar entirely with sand, rock, and gravel. While DCR has characterized these steps as a compromise from its original demolition plan, the practical effect is the permanent loss of the majority of the surviving above-ground fabric of a structure built in 1903 as the Commonwealth's first industrial prison camp. 

The Rutland Prison Camp is one of very few tangible remnants of a unique chapter in Massachusetts history: an early-20th-century working farm and correctional institution that housed inmates who cultivated crops and raised livestock for surrounding communities, including Worcester, before the site was taken for the Ware River/Quabbin watershed system and abandoned in 1934. The Historical Commission has been actively pursuing listing on the State Register of Historic Places for this reason, and the town has proposed alternatives — including safety fencing, controlled access, and interpretive signage — that would address DCR's concerns without erasing the historic structures. 

Our request is specific: that DCR pause implementation of its current plan and work with the town on a preservation-minded alternative before irreversible demolition work begins. 

Given the timeline DCR has described, we respectfully but urgently ask that your offices: 

1. Contact DCR leadership (Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle and DWSP Division Director John Scannell) to request a delay in any demolition or fill work at the site pending further consultation with the town; 

2. Facilitate a meeting among DCR, the Rutland Select Board, the Historical Commission, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission to discuss preservation-compatible safety alternatives; and 

3. Support the town's efforts to pursue State Register listing for the site, which would help ensure any future work accounts for its historical significance. 

The Prison Camp ruins cannot be replaced once removed. We would welcome the opportunity to discuss this further at your earliest convenience and are grateful for your attention to this time-sensitive matter. 

Respectfully, 

Sheila Dibb, Chair 

Rutland Select Board 

Peter Pasierb, Chair 

Rutland Historical Commission 

Cc: 

Nicole LaChapelle, Commissioner, DCR 

Dan Clark, Regional Director, DCR 

John Scannell, Division Director, DWSP 

-----------------------------------------------------

August 17, 2026 

Peter Pasierb, Chair 

Rutland Historical Commission 

Sent Via Email 

RE: Rutland Prison Camp modifications 

Dear Peter: 

I am writing to update you on the status of the Rutland Prison Camp. As you know, the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is concerned with the public safety risk posed by the current condition of the structures. In November 2025, DCR proposed demolition of the prison cells and modification of the root cellar at the site. At the time, the Commission asked to submit an alternative proposal. 

Staff have reviewed your proposed alternatives to keep the structures intact. Unfortunately, these alternatives are unlikely to address DCR’s continuing concerns about public safety risk, hate speech, and ongoing illicit and illegal activity at these structures. However, DCR heard your Boards’s and the public’s sentiments at the April 2026 meeting and understands the town’s desire to retain as much of the historical characteristics of the site as possible. Taking these desires into consideration, and meeting with DCR’s cultural resources staff, DCR has altered its plan for the site and will instead be making the following modifications: 

• Prison Cells – DCR will remove the upper portion of the interior and exterior walls of this structure down to a height of 3-4 feet. As a result, the footprint of the structure will remain, the public will be able to walk through the cells, and the unstable top portions of the walls will be removed. This will substantially reduce (or eliminate) any public safety risk from crumbling walls and should also reduce the overall amount of graffiti. 
• Root Cellar – DCR will seal off the entrance to the root cellar and then fill the structure with sand, rocks, and gravel. The roof of this structure is unsafe so allowing the public access to the inside is not possible. By filling the structure with material, it will remain intact while eliminating any safety hazard. 
• Educational Signs – DCR will explore the possibility of installing new educational signs at the site, but options may be limited given the history of damage to signage at the site. 

We know the legislative delegation has been involved and interested in Prison Camp concerns. We have met with them regarding the current plan and have copied them on this letter. 

Please let me know if you have any questions 

Sincerely, 

Dan Clark, Regional Director 

CC: Senator Peter Durant 

Representative Kimberly Ferguson 

John Scannell, Division Director, DWSP