The prison is in Comstock, a hamlet right outside of the village of Fort Ann in Washington County, New York.

When Great Meadow opened in 1911 it was the fourth prison for adult males constructed in the state of New York.

The 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land that Great Meadow Correctional Facility sits on was purchased by the state of New York in 1905 from Isaac Baker.

A mountain lake 2 mi (3.2 km) from the prison was the main source of water for the facility.

[1] When Great Meadow first opened it was home to mostly first time offenders, and therefore it did not need a wall for many years.

In his pseudobiography, Catch Me If You Can (book), Frank Abagnale claims to have been on the run for 5 years from 1965 to 1970, working as pediatrician, assistant attorney general, professor and pilot.

[5] However, he was incarcerated at Great Meadow between July 26, 1965, and December 24, 1968 effectively eliminating any veracity to his claims of impersonation.

[citation needed] August 17, 1955: 75 inmates armed with bats and clubs refused to move from the yard.

The warden gave them five minutes and then authorized the state police to forcefully return them to their cells.

A report on Great Meadow called the facility "the garbage heap of the state prison system."