Unlocking the History of the Missouri State Penitentiary

Nov. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Missouri State Penitentiary. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

The Missouri State Penitentiary was established in 1833 via a bill passed by the state legislature, and the first prisoner was incarcerated in 1835. Inmates constructed the main prison building from rock quarried at the site in 1836. The penitentiary closed on September 15, 2004, and plans are in place to redevelop the site into offices for state agencies and private enterprises.

The Missouri State Penitentiary was once considered one of the largest maximum-security penal institutions in the United States. After 550 serious assaults occurred inside the prison in the early 1960s, Time magazine called it “the bloodiest 47 acres in America” (although the walls of the penitentiary only contained 37 acres).

The penitentiary had the distinction of housing some very famous individuals: boxing champion Sonny Liston learned to box there under the direction of the prison chaplain, infamous gangster Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd spent time there, and James Earl Ray was an escapee when he shot and killed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Highlights of Missouri State Penitentiary:
•   Several thousand persons take a guided tour of the vacated Missouri State Penitentiary site.  It is one of the most visited tourist sites in Jefferson City.
•   The book highlights the fact that during the early days of the prison several commercial enterprises operated within the prison grounds using inmate labor to produce goods which were sold to the public.
•   Many residents are not familiar with the prison riot which occurred in September 1954.  This book presents scenes from that terrible riot.

In Images of America: Missouri State Penitentiary, the rich history of the facility is seen through images mostly taken from the holdings of the Missouri State Archives. Arnold G. Parks retired after teaching at Lincoln University for 28 years. He holds faculty rank as professor emeritus of sociology and is the author of two other Arcadia books.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at www.arcadiapublishing.com or
(888)-313-2665.  

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com.