Tours offer glimpse of life behind bars
Prisons aren’t generally a pleasant topic of conversation.
The facilities are, however, a source of intrigue.
Here are few historic American prisons, all open to some extent to the public, and each with its story of notorious inmates.
• Alcatraz, San Francisco: Known as “The Rock,” owing to its location on a barren 22-acre island in San Francisco Bay, Alcatraz arguably is America’s most famous prison. Established as a U.S. Army fortress in 1850, it became a military prison in the 1860s and eventually served as a federal maximumsecurity prison from 1934 to 1963.
It housed a rogues’ gallery of criminals through the years, including Al “Scarface” Capone, George “Machine Gun” Kelly, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis (the FBI’s first “Public Enemy”) and Alaskan murderer Robert “Birdman” Stroud.
Information: 415561-4900, www.nps. gov/alca
• Folsom Prison, Folsom, California: Folsom is best-known in popular culture for a concert performed at Perhaps the most famous prison in the country, Alcatraz welcomes visitors daily via a ferry from San Francisco’s Pier 33.
the prison in 1968 by Johnny Cash, whose chart-topping album “At Folsom Prison” was recorded live at the event.
In reality, the longer history of this granite-walled maximum-security lockup, located just northeast of Sacramento, is a grim one. Dating back to 1880, California’s second-oldest prison has recorded 93 executions, countless escapes and numerous bloody riots.
Charles Manson, Hell’s Angel leader Sonny Barger and Black Panther Eldridge Cleaver have ranked among its notable inmates.
Information:
916-985-2561, www. folsomprisonmuseum. org
• Old Idaho Penitentiary, Boise, Idaho: One of the largest and most authentically preserved of America’s historic prisons, the Old Idaho Pen is an impressive ensemble of 30 buildings and special exhibitions now designated as a National Historic District. During its 101 years of operation (18721973), the distinctive Romanesque-style sandstone complex received more than 13,000 inmates.
Information: 208-334-2844, www.history.gov/ old-penitentiary
• Missouri State
Penitentiary, Jefferson City, Missouri: Founded in 1836, Missouri State Penitentiary is one of the oldest and largest penitentiaries in America.
Following its closure in 2004, the 47-acre complex was refurbished and reopened for tours.
Among the infamous inmates: gangster Charles “Pretty Boy” Floyd, former world heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston (who learned the sport as a prisoner) and James Earl Ray, who escaped the prison just months before assassinating Martin Luther King Jr.
• Information: 866-998-6998, www. missouripentours.com