letterhead-logoAbout the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society

For 150 years, the Nevada State Prison played an important role in the State of Nevada, protecting its citizens, influencing its architecture, providing employment, and amassing an impressive list of historically significant events.

After NSP was decommissioned, the Nevada State Prison Preservation Society was formed as a non-profit on November 1, 2012 with the goal of preserving, interpreting, and developing this important site for the education of present and future generations. The Society has been hard at work ever since. The Society is governed by a nine member board of directors. Assembly Bill 377, signed into law during the 2015 Nevada Legislature, provides a framework for development of this historic site, and defines the role of NSPPS.

In October of 2015, after months of hard work by the society, the Nevada State Prison was approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.  We are currently working on a number of other initiatives. The most important and urgent is the process to obtain a permit for the new use of this site. The permit process may involve structural modifications to bring us into compliance with current health, safety, and access codes. Until this is complete, there can be no public access to the prison.

Everything we do is accomplished without state funds. So, fund raising is an important part of our activities. We are actively involved in the grant application process.  We are also involved in periodic fund raising events and drives. We have a series of six lectures which are presented in a variety of forums, including service clubs and at membership meetings. Please let us know if your organization is interested in hearing about our work.

Speaking of membership, you can support this cause by becoming a member. There are several levels of membership. You can get more info on the website.

We are beginning to collect and catalogue prison artifacts, documents, and memorabilia. We also conduct research to add to our knowledge of the Nevada State Prison.

With assistance from the Warm Springs Correctional Center, we have done a pretty good job keeping the weeds under control!

And last, but not least, we work with our many partners to keep our preservation effort front and center.  These partners include the Nevada Department of Corrections, the State Historic Preservation Office, the Nevada Department of Tourism and Cultural Affairs, State Lands, and Carson City.

The Nevada State Prison Preservation Society is a federally tax exempt non-profit organization. All contributions are tax deductible under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 (c) 3, section 170 (b) (1) (A) (vi).

3 Comments on “What We Do”

  1. Hello. My name is Chuck Weller. I am a retired district court judge in Reno and the author of a book called “Nevada and World War II: the Silver State’s Contribution to Victory” to be published by the University of Nevada Press and released in June 2024. One story the book tells is that of the NSP during the war, including prisoner participation in a national Buy-a-Bomber campaign, enlistments, scrap metal collection, food production, the cessation of building plans, the casino, executions, etc. I will be pleased to share the research I have collected with you and hope to help attract attention to your efforts to preserve the history of the prison.

    Presently, I am working on a companion pictorial volume that will include more than 150 images of Nevada during the war. I want to include photos that portray the prison. Your website includes interesting photographs of the prison and the casino. You may have access to, or know the location of, others. I seek the highest available resolution, prison-related images from approximately the early 1940s, and permission to publish them.

    My contact information is: Chuck Weller
    20 Francovich Court
    Reno, NV 89519
    [email protected]
    775-848-3097

    May I please hear from you? Thank you. Chuck Weller

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