McNeil Island
47°12′54″N 122°41′24″W / 47.215°N 122.69°W
Aerial image of McNeil Island (foreground) seen from the east | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | Puget Sound |
| Administration | |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce County |
McNeil Island is an island in the Northwestern United States, in south Puget Sound southwest of Tacoma, Washington. With a land area of 6.63 square miles (17.2 km2), it lies in an area of many inhabited small islands, including Anderson Island to the south across Balch Passage, and Fox Island to the north across Carr Inlet. To the west, McNeil Island is separated from Key Peninsula by Pitt Passage. The Washington mainland lies to the east, across the south basin of Puget Sound.
The island has been owned and administered by the government of the state of Washington since early 1840s when it was seized from the aboriginal Steilacoom people; it was the location of a federal penitentiary for over a century, from 1875 to 1981. It was turned over to the Washington State Department of Corrections and became the McNeil Island Corrections Center, until it closed in 2011. It was the last remaining island prison in the country to be accessible only by air and sea.
In November 2010, the state announced closure plans for 2011, saving $14 million. A detention center for violent sexual offenders remains on the island.
The McNeil Island Historical Society was chartered in 2010 shortly after the closing of the prison for the purpose of educating the public about, and preserving, the rich history of McNeil Island.