Day 8 - Visiting Hours at the Pen

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What was supposed to be a quick stop at the Pen turned into about 2 1/2 hours. But it was well worth it. In my travels I've stopped at three prison museums and two other prison tours. This was by far the best of them. I normally don't like guided tours, and this one was slow at times, but the guide did provide a lot of interesting information and history of the facility. She didn't seem to shy away from the gory details of the violent incidents that occurred here. Considering this was the site of one of the largest prison riots in US history, she had no shortage of stories. Since the prison closed this has also become the site of an annual Mock Prison Riot, a 4 day training exercise for law enforcement. Unfortunately tours are not available year round, The facility has no heat.



Old Sparky here was used for a total of 9 executions before execution was outlawed in 1965. The chair was built by a prisoner working in the prison wood shop. Although many prisoners wanted to test the chair on him, the warden transferred the prisoner for his safety.



After a few hours in the pen, it was a quick 6 1/2 hour drive home.



See all the photos from this trip here

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