History: Opening in 1836 and closing in 2004, it was the oldest operating prison west of the Mississippi River. The maximum security institution initially consisted of only one guard, one warden, fifteen prisoners and a foreman of the brick making company. The prisoners were employed there and in fact, most of the buildings there were constructed by prisoners using not only brick but also stone that was found on site. Famous inmates: Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd imprisoned in 1925 for robbery. Charles "Sonny" Liston, cell #33, imprisoned for armed robbery in 1950, learned to box while in prison and was paroled in 1953. James Earl Ray, from 1960-67, until he escaped in a bread box and one year later charged for the murder of MLK. All I could think about was that I was walking on the same concrete floors that these individuals walked on, seeing and walking in to their actual cells, it was an eerie feeling for sure.
When we arrived there one Tuesday afternoon, we were greeted by a former warden of the prison who is now responsible for the Missouri Penn Tours. Once we were all present, the front doors slammed. There was no getting out, seriously. Locked in and he had the only key. Did I mention we had to sign a waiver and release of liability? The initial entrance didn't seem too scary, after all, it's just a few buildings with jail cells, right? Wrong. A case of shanks and shives all made by prisoners was displayed...some were pretty impressive too. I wonder if they tried to "dig" their way out or they were mainly used for weapons...
The first building we toured housed the women. They differed slightly from the mens with shorter jail cells and the bars of the doors weren't rounded but rather more of a triangle-shape. Seriously, shorter cells, were the women shorter back then? I stood in the doorway and barely cleared it. The building didn't feel too "creepy"as there were windows all the way around so a lot of light was let in. Maybe they were being "easy" on the women back then. The cell's were small, two beds and toilet, that's it. I would never last there.
The men's cells were taller and the bar's of the doors were rounded, as I pictured all of them would be. Think Shawshank Redemption...as what the warden referred to it as. Rows of cells, 4 stories high in one particular building. I just kept wondering how this place ran, what happened on a daily basis. Phone booths, barber chairs, and a mail box for those prisoners who wanted to send a letter.
Next up, "Death Row"...this is where it really hit me. The worst of the worst, those who did unfathomable crimes, were housed here...and behind two rows of bars, not just one. Those on death row were allowed one hour per day to exercise in a nearby fenced-in area. Because conditions here were "unfavorable" compared to other facilities, changes were made and prisoners were rewarded for good behavior. Excuse me? You are on death row, you don't get those privileges...I would have been a terrible warden. Anyway, in 1989, 70 death row inmates were sent to Potosi, a max-security prison for high-risk male inmates.
And finally, we entered what was referred to as "hell", a place where prisoners were basically taken to die. No light, no toilet, hay for beds, no clothing, meals slid under the door, and 10 men to a cell. However these "cells" were different. They were made of stone and the doors were solid. Each prisoner, if sent here, stayed a minimum of 10 days...the record in one of these rooms, 15 years. Let that sink in.
The gas chamber. Because of lack of time, I wasn't able to see this area. But from 1938-1965, 39 prisoners were executed here. In 1989, George "Tiny" Mercer was the last man to be executed in the gas chamber, but it was by lethal injection. From Belton, Missouri, he was the president of two motorcycle clubs, the Missing Links and the Rancid Riders. Clearly he was missing a few links himself. He was put to death for the rape and murder of a 22 year-old cocktail waitress. Injected at 12:03, losing consciousness 3 minutes later and pronounced dead at 12:09. Night night Tiny. Around a dozen people carried candles to protest his execution. I wonder where all of his motorcycle friends were?
One last story told by the warden involved a man getting his jugular cut...his comment and I quote, "I have never seen so much blood, and it was just squirting out of him everywhere." Me, being the nurse, thinking and picturing what that probably looked like to them...because the force behind that vein being cut is like that of a fountain. Needless to say, that prisoner didn't make it.
Women's Prison
Cell #33, Charles "Sonny" Liston
{Emily Lynn Photography}
Death Row
"Hell"
{Emily Lynn Photography}
Break free...it's a sight worth seeing.
I will share more of {Emily Lynn's Photography} in my next post!
Shona
