Stewart Iron Works Prison Key - Alcatraz Association

Description

Up for bid is a prison key from my collection. It is a key for a
locking mechanism manufactured by the
Jail and Prison Division
of the
Stewart Iron Works company.
When the Great Depression hit, Stewart Iron Works
concentrated on its jail division, a booming industry during the years of gangsters and prohibition. Stewart Iron Works played a key role with the manufacture and installation of the "slammer" cell mechanism on the Rock in addition to many of the security doors. This upgrade was required when Alcatraz shifted from a Military Prison to a high-security Federal Prison.
Stewart Iron Works
also installed locking mechanisms at
Sing-Sing, Leavenworth and in addition to other prison/jail facilities.
I AM NOT SAYING THIS KEY WAS USED ON ALCATRAZ. I will say that keys like this were common on Alcatraz. See the historic photo of the Alcatraz key board. The souvenir key which is sold on Alcatraz is based on this type of key.
This key measures ~3 1/2" long and has the number "303" stamped onto one side. This is most likely identifying the security lock that it was used for.