The History of Northeast Florida

  Florida State Prison (formerly Raiford Prison) had it's humble beginning in the early 20th century as a farm designed to temporarily hold offenders deemed too infirm to work on chain gangs.  Today, it is a high security institution confining Florida's most dangerous criminals and the home of it's death chamber.   Florida Felons: Stories from the History of Raiford Prison  traces the history of Florida's only named "prison" through the eyes of those unfortunate people who spent time within it's walls. From the author of the Amazon Best Seller  South of the St. Marys River: Stories from the History of Northeast Florida , the new book,  Florida Felons , examines the history of Florida State Prison through the lives of some of Florida's most unusual criminals.  Each story is as unique as the individual behind it, from the youthful indiscretions that blossomed into lifelong sentences to the harrowing circumstances that forced individuals into a life ...

  In 1971 Rex Gyger, 26, and Wallace McDonald, 43, met while incarcerated at Raiford State Prison.  Gyger was serving a two year sentence for breaking out of jail in Tampa .  McDonald was there for ten years for an armed robbery in Jacksonville .  He had previously escaped from jail in Ohio and Louisiana three times. Both men were employed by the prison furniture shop.  Both men were trained in wood and metal working.  Both men desperately wanted to escape from prison. On the afternoon of Saturday, November 13, 1971 the prison shop was closed for the day.  Gyger and McDonald broke into the shop.  Using the tools and materials at hand and the skills they had learned while in prison, the two constructed a “tank” out of a forklift.  They attached two layers of ten gauge sheet metal to each side of the machine, and four layers on top.  They cut a small slit in the front of the armor so that they could see out.  Then they waited. ...