Old Idaho Penitentiary
By Bridget Ryder
I slide the grey, barred, metal door open, its a slow, hollow clang still resonating as I step into a high-ceilinged room, equally grey and metallic. The coldness, grayness, and hollowness of the room all perplex me. Then it hits me. I am in prison. Fortunately, I am only on a tour.
The Old Idaho Penitentiary sits fortress-like on the east side of Boise in the shadow of Table Rock. Construction on the Old Pen began in 1870 and later inmates suffered the cruel and unusual punishment of building their own cells in the 1890s when the central cell buildings were completed. Idaho’s convicts continued to payoff their debts to society inside its walls until 1971. Since then, the prison has been converted into an open air, interactive museum where tourists can roam the old cell blocks or see what solitary confinement felt like. But the Old Pen is more than a sneaky method for parents to scare their teenagers out of doing anything illegal. The stone complex also preserves other aspects of Idaho’s history through the J Curtis Earl Memorial, a collection of weapons from the Bronze Age through World War II, and an impressive transportation exhibit. Equally interesting, Marked Men, an exhibit on tattoos highlights the history of this art and its role prison life
But the real story of life in an old time penitentiary can also be read on the prison walls. Inside the buildings, the cells remain basically untouched from their original condition, some with only buckets for sanitation purposes. Prisoners’ bed boards turned into works of art, a display of confiscated weapons (including a homemade nunchuck), the laundry house where prisoners cleaned soldiers’ uniforms during World War II, and excerpts from the 1972 Prisoner Rule Book provide a multidimensional impression of daily life at the Old Pen. Tourists can also step into solitary confinement and close themselves into a cell no larger than two paces by four paces where the only light comes from a head-sized opening in the ceiling. For a sense of ultimate justice, guests can walk through death row and see the execution room, complete with its drop door for hangings.
But on lock-down in the Old Idaho State Pen are two other gems of historical preservation −the J Cutis Earl Memorial and the Transportation Collection. Once the private arms collection of this illustrious Idahoan, the J Curtis Earl Memorial includes a life-like World War I trench warfare exhibit, a shining Cattling gun, the pilot’s log book of Mussolini’s son, and other bellicose artifacts from the Bronze Age through World War II. The Transportation Exhibit boasts a Salvation Army Bus complete with its horn, a horse-drawn hearse, and a Basque sheepherder wagon.
Between exploring old cells and learning about how to get a tattoo in prison, The Old Idaho State Pen will fascinate adults and youngsters alike. Plus, the self-guided tour is only 5 dollars. Throw in a visit to the neighboring botanical gardens and hike up Table Rock for a full day of activities all in one location. The Old Idaho State Penitentiary opens at 10 a.m. May through September and at 12 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day. But in order to avoid becoming an overnight guest, be sure you are on freedom’s side of the door by 5 p.m. every night of the year.
For more information visit http://history.idaho.gov/oldpen.html.
For more images of the Old Idaho Penitentiary visit our Boise Image Gallery.
