Jefferson City, Missouri
Following our adventure at the Missouri State Capital we went to jail. No, we were put in the Pen. Well, actually, we toured the 168 year old Missouri State Penitentiary located in Jefferson City, Missouri.
With Larry Neil as our guide, we sat outside the control room and watched the prison doors slam shut behind us. A chill ran down my spine and there was no turning back. We were committed to the horrors of the next hour inside the Missouri State Penitentiary.
The control room was where the prisoners first came into the prison. They received their cell assignment in this area and prepared to begin their life behind bars. Many passed through these doors to stay a few months, a few years or for the rest of their lives.
The large red brick buildings, as well as, the white stone ones looked intimidating as we walked out into the open courtyard. Standing under the old shade tree we listened as we heard stories of survival inside those prison walls.
With no heat or air conditioning, 5,000 sweating, stinking, growling, yelling, dangerous men lived at the prison with 6 men to a tiny cell. Each man there to serve time for crimes committed on the outside of those old stone walls.
Our guide, Mr. Neal, a former employee, related story after story about his daily life working in maintenance at the state pen. He was quite a storyteller. He kept us on the edge of our seats as he painted word pictures right before our eyes.
He told of scuffles, fights, riots and deaths. He told of seeing prisoners being drug from their buildings with blood trailing after their lifeless bodies. Some living to fight again and others who lost their battles.
He showed us the dungeon in the basement of one of the buildings where prisoners were placed in total darkness for hours, days or even months. We experienced total darkness as he seated us in one of the underground rooms and switched off the lights. I felt a cold, helpless, lonely feeling creep into my bones as I sat in total darkness no more than 60 seconds. I was ready to get out of there.
Gas Chamber Execution Witness
The gas chamber, located behind the penitentiary in a small rock building had a pipe that protruded out the top of the building which dispensed the gas back out into the atmosphere following an execution. Before the gas was administered to the prisoner, the watch towers, located on the exterior prison walls, were evacuated to keep the prison guards safe from any fumes that were released.
Standing at the outside door of the gas chamber I wondered what went through the prisoner’s mind as he walked through one of the two doors, knowing his body would soon have to be carried out by someone else’s power.
Inside, we experienced a sobering gas chamber where many men died of cyanide poisoning. We saw where family and friends stood while they watched their loved one put to death for the heinous crimes they committed. We could only imagine the pain in their hearts as they witnessed the end of life.
Execution Chair
We sat in the execution chair and felt the evil of the room, knowing that for some, justice was served and for others, their life on earth was complete.
This tour was not for the faint of heart. It touched the mind and the heart as we learned of how people spent the final days and years of their lives locked behind bars.
Airris’s Pizza in Jefferson City
How do you go from a heart-wrenching afternoon to a pizza joint? Well, after all that walking we were ready for a change of scenery and lunch, so we drove to Arris’ Pizza. We enjoyed a couple salads and all-meat pizzas. It refreshed us and helped put the gruesomeness of the penitentiary and all the detailed and sad stories behind us for a while as we relaxed and recovered.
Central Dairy
Following pizza we checked our bucket list and found the Central Dairy, at 610 Madison, still had an unchecked box. We headed there next for a special treat of our choice, mine was a strawberry ice cream sundae. The creaminess of the ice cream highlighted the strawberries and made the sundae a delightful afternoon treat. The company of my family members around the table made the ice cream more sweet and more memorable.
What a fun Wandering Wednesday in Jefferson City, Missouri.