If you go to Quebec City, take the time to go to the Morrin Centre. It was a prison, a school, and then a library. I highly recommend the tour .
This gem of a book presents the history of the place. It is split into three sections, not counting the introduction by Louise Penny, and each section is written by a different author. The first section is the history of the prison; the second the history of the school, and the third of the library. The book is nicely illustrated and jammed with facts not only about the Centre but about Quebec City as well.
For instance, Quebec City had a black hangman who took the job after he was wrongly accused of robbery. There were escapes, but very few women actually escaped. There is the wonderful story about when the library finally let women join the book selection committee. The men were horrified – horrified I say – at the romance books that those women allowed. One men even took the books home to “burn” them. But his daughter read them first.
The information about the college is interesting as well. You will be amazed at the sex scandal that occurred with some the professors as well as the evidence that showed women were more than useful in the lab rooms.
The first section chronicles the prison and includes floor plans as well as a list of staff. Each section has its own bibliography and timeline.
Very nice
