Hawthorn Grounds – Mark Schreiber Collection, 1987-1988, via the Missouri State Archives
The remnants of an abandoned shoreline prison camp can still be glimpsed from Lake of the Ozarks
by Tegan Pasley
Lake of the Ozarks State Park is a summer hotspot, known for its scenic trails and public access to the nation’s most popular recreational lake. But nestled deep within the park, along an overgrown shoreline stands a weathered sign, visible from the water: “Property of State Correctional Facility.”
This sign hints at a surprising use for this state land, from decades ago. These quiet shores once housed a prison camp. Situated west of Camp Pin Oak, the historical Camp Hawthorn spanned about 175 acres on a peninsula around the 2 Mile Marker of the Grand Glaize Arm. There, on the peaceful shores of Lake of the Ozarks, prisoners labored under the watchful eye of the Missouri Department of Corrections.
Life In The Prison Camp
Well House – photo by Judith Deel, State Historic Preservation Office
The Ozark Correctional Center opened in 1963 in Fordland, Mo. after being converted from a former military base. Offenders assigned to the OCC are enrolled in basic pre-release preparation programs. Years ago, one of those programs was at Camp Hawthorn. The camp housed work-release inmates from 1982 to 2005.
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