Old Idaho State Penitentiary

Description:

• Visit the "Old Pen" to get a glimpse of prison life in the West from the 19th Century onward. Built in 1870, the castle-like fortress was enlarged over the years, often using prisoner labor. In 1973 it was replaced with a new prison. Visitors can take a 90-minute tour, complete with solitary confinement cells, death row and the gallows. It is also the site of Idaho's only hanging in 1957. The building now houses several museums worth perusing.
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