Jefferson City, Missouri isn’t the only city with a State Penitentiary Museum. Indeed, there are 50+ jail and prison museums in the US! But this prison museum may be the most unique.
The largest prison in the U.S. when it was built, thousands of men and women lived behind its bars between 1836 and 2004.
Linda’s Pick of the Exhibits
The Missouri State Penitentiary is a tourist attraction that’s a lot off-the-beaten path and more than a little bit quirky. Perhaps that’s why it really appealed to me as an historic destination I had to visit.
My pick of exhibits? Cell #33. This cell was home to Sonny Liston from June 1950 to October 1952. My connection to Liston? I remember watching his rematch with Cassius Clay in 1965 when he was knocked out in the first round.
Charles “Sonny” Liston entered Missouri State Penitentiary as a man with little to no future. Then, he became what some called “the most feared man in the world.”
As the 24th of 25 siblings who shared the same father, it’s no wonder there’s a little confusion about his exact date of birth. However, most records indicate it was May, 1932.
Living with an alcoholic father was tough, and Liston soon left the cotton fields of Arkansas for St. Louis. There, his brawn and strength got him noticed by police on a regular basis. It also landed him work as a strike-breaker.
Liston’s Time in the Missouri Penitentiary
Liston was arrested more than 20 times before finally landing in the Missouri State Penitentiary.
There, prison athletic director, Father Alois Stevens, took him under his wing. Stevens helped Liston find another way to work out his frustrations with the world — boxing.
Fast Fact: Boxing got Liston paroled from prison in 1952. A newspaper publisher, who’d seen him box, approached the parole board. He provided a plan to give Sonny some education (he was illiterate) and get him started in the sport.
Once released, Sonny moved into the Pine Street YMCA and began working at Scullins Steel until his boxing career launched. That happened September 2, 1953, with his knockout of Don Smith.
What’s at the Missouri State Penitentiary Museum?
Missouri State Penitentiary opened as a museum in 2013, nine years after it closed as a prison. The prison, sometimes called the “bloodiest 47 acres in America,” remained open for 168 years.
Its last prisoners were transferred to the new Jefferson City Correctional Center when it was decommissioned in 2004.
Visits to Missouri State Penitentiary are only with a guide. You have a variety of options, ranging from a two or three hour history tour to inmate tours. They also offer paranormal and ghost tours that are very popular especially at Halloween.
The tours take you through several housing units such as the control center, women’s unit, dungeon cells, and upper walks. You’ll also see the gas chamber on both the two and three-hour tours.
Ray Miller, my tour guide, had been a Deputy Sheriff in Jefferson City, Missouri, home of the penitentiary. Most other tour guides had similar prison connections.
Why was the Missouri State Penitentiary once called the Bloodiest 47 acres in America?
What you might not guess about Missouri State Penitentiary is that it was once called the Bloodiest 47 acres in America! Why? In part, due to the periodic riots that occurred in its 168 years as a prison.
However, the riot of 1954 stands out for its size and violence. With around 2500 rioters rampaging through the prison, it took a whole lot of law enforcement to restore order. At one point, armed troopers even opened fire with machine guns.
Finally, 245 troopers were able to regain control. It took less than 24 hours and during that time, not a single prisoner escaped. The costs, however, were high, both in dollars ($5 million) and lives (4 inmates died and 50 were injured).
As you might guess from the lack of escapees, Missouri State Penitentiary was a maximum-security prison. It also had a gas chamber where 40 men were executed.
Museum Collection
The museum collection has some interesting artifacts. They include an oak clock handmade by the prisoners for Warden Swenson and a hand-carved box for one of the Governor’s maids (prisoners worked in the Governor’s mansion).
Fast Fact: A Jefferson City seamstress, Mrs. Isabelle Jobe, made the original striped suits for the convicts. This type of prison garb helped make it easier to identify prisoners if they escaped.
My favorite items were the crafts made from cigarette packages. There are also dozens of fun facts posted throughout the museum.
What’s it like to sit in the gas chamber at the Missouri Prison Museum?
The gas chamber was a relatively new addition, having been built in 1937. The book, Shanks to Shakers: Reflections of the Missouri State Penitentiary, by Mark Schreiber, tells lots about it. The book even includes a photograph of staff and inmates assembling the gas chamber after it arrived at the site.
So what happens in a gas chamber? It’s a simple enough system.
Prisoners are strapped down.
A lever drops. Crystals of sodium cyanide fall into a pail of sulfuric acid.
A smell, harsh, like bitter almonds, rises from the hydrogen cyanide gas that forms and wafts into the chamber.
Holding your breath will only help for a minute or two. In those agonizing minutes gas fills the metal, airtight chamber, replacing the oxygen.
Luckily for me, there was lots of oxygen to breathe the day I sat in the gas chamber. Even so, my hand, not strapped in as a prisoner on death row’s would have been, clenched the metal arm of the chair. My heart pounded in my chest. Instead of the loved ones of my victims, a group of tourists watched for my reactions.
In total, 40 inmates died in the chamber. It’s no wonder the ghost tours are so popular!
Linda’s Road Trip Tips
According to a 2024 study by real estate agents at AgentAdvice, Jefferson City is America’s most desirable city. I’ve never lived there, but I can definitely say the city has some great attractions and places to eat and enjoy a drink or two.
Free tours of the Missouri State Capitol are given year round, seven days a week (with a few exceptions). If you’re in Jefferson City you can’t miss seeing Thomas Hart Benton’s murals there. They’re one of the Capitols most famous artworks and provide a nice concise history.
The Missouri Governor’s Mansion also offers free tours. It’s another one I really enjoyed.
And of course, I have to highly recommend a stop at Prison Brews. Even if you’re not into watching their Bocce league championships, Prison Brews serves some great microbrews.
Who Should Visit the Missouri State Penitentiary Museum?
Whether your interest is history, the human condition, the paranormal, or experiencing the quirky, I can highly recommend taking the Penitentiary tour.
Or, if you dare, an overnight ghost hunter experience.
Due to the age of the buildings, the tours aren’t entirely accessible for those with mobility issues.
Doors are narrow, so wheelchairs may not fit through. There are also several flights of stairs on the tour that could be a problem.
Since the tours are timed, you can choose the visit appropriate to your needs. I’ve done the tour with two different guides and found them both interesting.
How Do You Visit the Missouri State Penitentiary Museum?
Visiting the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City is a unique experience.
Street Address: The penitentiary is located at 115 Lafayette Street in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Parking: There's lots of free parking in front of the museum.
Keep up to date with events on the Missouri State Penitentiary Facebook page.
See the three hour YouTube video – The Most Haunted Prison in America.
Go inside the State prison with a former inmate on YouTube.
Plan your visit with Google maps.
Find More Museum Reviews for Missouri
Check out more reviews for museum attractions in Missouri on guide2museums.com.
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Reference(s)
Sonny Liston. (n.d.). Jefferson City Magazine. https://jeffersoncitymag.com/sonny-liston-boxing-stardom/
Acknowledgments
I’d like to thank the Missouri Division of Tourism for hosting my visits to Jefferson City, Missouri.
guide2museums.com 