History is often written by those in power, leaving the voices of those most affected by systemic injustice unheard. Beyond These Gates is a community-driven remembrance project dedicated to amplifying the narratives of women who lived, served time, and contributed to the community at the Indiana Women’s Prison (IWP). With support from the Indiana Humanities Council’s Action Grant, this initiative brings together formerly incarcerated women, community members, and scholars to explore the site’s past, reclaim its stories, and shape public conversations about its future.

The First Women’s Reformatory & Contested Site—A Legacy at Risk of Erasure

Founded in 1873, the Indiana Women’s Prison was the first separate women’s reformatory in the United States. Like all former and current incarceration locations, the former site of the Indiana Women’s Prison is a contested site of remembrance. Contested sites are locations, typically of historical or cultural significance, where differing groups dispute their meaning, interpretation, or ownership, often due to conflicting or overlooked narratives or claims. For the women who have lived part of their lives at the former Indiana Women’s Prison, their relationship with this space is complicated, layered, and shaped by often contradictory realities commonly left out of the discourse surrounding the significance of these places.

Now, as the former prison undergoes a land swap deal between the State of Indiana and the City of Indianapolis, its redevelopment is the subject of ongoing community discussions and visioning sessions. A question remains, however, of how the memories and stories of those whose lives are most intertwined with the history and cultural impact of this place will be remembered or integrated into the redevelopment process. Beyond These Gates centers the voices of the women who once occupied its cells and classrooms in discussions about what should come next.

Rather than letting outside institutions and groups determine this site’s history, Beyond These Gates creates space for those with lived experience to reflect, share, and assert their role in shaping public memory. This project goes beyond conventional historical research; it invites participants to engage in oral histories, poetry, creative writing, and public dialogues to document and preserve their complex relationships with the prison.

A Participatory Approach to Remembering

Beyond These Gates is led by former residents of IWP, ensuring that the remembering process is not only about them but by them. Through facilitated storytelling workshops, community discussions, participants reflect on their time at IWP and interrogate how incarceration shaped their identities. These narratives challenge the traditional victim/criminal dichotomy and offer a fuller, more complex picture of life within the prison’s walls.

By reclaiming personal histories, this project also reclaims the physical space itself. The redevelopment of the former prison site should not erase the people who once called it home, even temporarily. Instead, it should serve as a space of reflection, education, and community dialogue.

Looking Ahead

One of the lasting legacies of Beyond These Gates will be a podcast series exploring community remembering, the relationship between incarceration and identities, and the nature of telling stories related to contested sites. This project will also create an archive of participant stories, resulting in a toolkit that other communities can use to remember and honor former incarceration sites. By developing a replicable model for inclusive, justice-centered heritage work, this project serves as a resource for cities grappling with similar histories across the country.

The past does not disappear when a building is demolished or repurposed. It lingers in the memories of those who lived it, waiting to be acknowledged. Beyond These Gates ensures that the women of IWP are not forgotten. Once silenced, their voices will shape the future of this historic space and, hopefully, how we think about incarceration, justice, and remembrance.

Thank You

This project has been made possible through a grant from Indiana Humanities in cooperation with the National Endowment for the Humanities. Their investment in Beyond These Gates reaffirms the power of storytelling and collective remembering in building a more equitable and inclusive society.

Beyond These Gates: Remembering, Reclaiming, and Reimagining the Indiana Women’s Prison

The Conspiracy of Community, Engagement, and Friendship