Old Idaho State Penitentiary Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

A facade of the old penitentiary
Boise Location in the United States Show map of the United States Boise Location in Idaho Show map of Idaho
Location	2200 Warm Springs Ave. Boise, Idaho, U.S.
Area	510 acres (2.1 km²)
Built	1870–1872; 152 years ago
Architect	Inmates
Architectural style	Romanesque
NRHP reference No.	74000729
Added to NRHP	July 17, 1974

The Old Idaho Penitentiary State Historic Site was a working prison in Boise, Idaho, for over 100 years. It opened in 1872 and closed in 1973. This historic site is in the western United States, just east of downtown Boise.

The first building was called the Territorial Prison. It was built in 1870 when Idaho was still a territory, not yet a state. The prison started with just one cell house. Over time, it grew into a large complex with many unique buildings. A tall, 17-foot-high (5.2 m) sandstone wall surrounded the prison. The prisoners themselves helped build the wall and other parts of the prison. They even dug the stone from nearby hills!

Today, the Old Idaho Penitentiary is a museum. It is run by the Idaho State Historical Society. It's a cool place to visit and learn about history.

Dennis the Prison Cat
History of the Old Prison
Buildings of the Old Prison
- Original Prison Buildings
- Later Additions and Special Areas
The Prison Today: A Museum
Images for kids
See also

Dennis the Prison Cat

A special "inmate" named Dennis lived at the prison for 16 years. Dennis was a kitten found in the prison barn in 1952. Even though prisoners weren't allowed pets, the guards let one inmate keep him. Dennis roamed the prison yard and became friends with everyone. Both guards and prisoners loved him. When Dennis passed away in 1968, the prisoners held a funeral for him. They even gave him a headstone. Dennis is the only "inmate" buried inside the prison walls.

History of the Old Prison

During its 101 years, more than 13,000 people were held at the penitentiary. At its busiest, it held over 600 people at once. About 216 of these people were women.

Some well-known people stayed at the prison. One was Harry Orchard, who was involved in a famous event in 1905. Another was Lyda Southard, known for collecting life insurance money.

Over the years, prisoners sometimes protested about their living conditions. Big protests happened in 1952, 1971, and 1973. After the last protest, the 416 prisoners moved to a new facility south of Boise. The Old Idaho Penitentiary officially closed on December 3, 1973.

A few years before it closed, in 1968, some prisoners who had earned special trust were able to walk away from the prison.

Buildings of the Old Prison

The Old Idaho Penitentiary has many interesting buildings. Each one tells a part of its long history.

Original Prison Buildings

Territorial Prison (1872): This was the very first building. It held the first 11 prisoners. Later, in the 1930s, it became a chapel. It was sadly destroyed by fire during the 1973 protests.
New Cell House (1889–1890): This building had three levels with 42 steel cells. The top level was where prisoners waiting for serious punishments stayed.
Administration Building (1893–1894): This building was important for running the prison. It had the warden's (prison boss) office, a room for visitors, and the main control area.
False Front Building (1894–1895): This building housed the prison store, a barber shop, and a hospital. The hospital was originally a blacksmith shop. It was damaged in the 1971 protests.
Dining Hall (1898): An inmate named George Hamilton designed this building. It was where prisoners ate their meals. It burned down during the 1973 protests.
Cell House 2 (1899): Also called the North Wing, this building had cells for two people. It was burned by prisoners during the 1973 protests.
Cell House 3 (1899): Built like Cell House 2, this building was later turned into a shoe factory. In 1928, it was updated to be the first cell house with indoor plumbing for prisoners.

The dining hall of the penitentiary. Much of the building was burned in the protests. The lines in the photograph are cables used to hold the walls up.

Layout of the penitentiary

Later Additions and Special Areas

Women's Ward (1920): Before this building, women prisoners lived in the old warden's house. This new dormitory had seven cells, a common room, kitchen, and bathrooms. Lyda Southard stayed here.
Multipurpose Building (1923): Prisoners built this building. It was used for many things, like making shirts and license plates, doing laundry, and holding communal showers.
Solitary Confinement: This area had two parts. The "Cooler" (early 1920s) was for solitary confinement, but often held 4-6 men per cell. "Siberia" (1926) had twelve small cells, each for one prisoner.
Cell House 4 (1952): This was the biggest and most modern cell house. Some prisoners painted their cells, and you can still see their drawings today.
Cell House 5 (1954): This was the maximum security area for the most difficult prisoners. It also had a permanent solitary confinement section.
Recreational Area: Outside the prison walls, there was a large area where prisoners could play sports like baseball, basketball, and football. The prison baseball team was called "The Outlaws." This area is now the Idaho Botanical Gardens. The prison cemetery is also located here.
Rose Garden: This area, now a beautiful garden, was once used for serious punishments.

The Prison Today: A Museum

The Old Idaho Penitentiary was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. This means it's an important historical site. Today, you can visit the buildings and cell houses. There are exhibits that tell the stories of the prison.

You can also see the Idaho Merci Train boxcar and the J. Curtis Earl Memorial Exhibit. This exhibit has a collection of historic weapons and military items. These items range from ancient times (around 1000–650 BC) to modern uses.

Images for kids

Remnants of the pen's chapel, burned during the protests.
The Northeast corner of the penitentiary.
The Penitentiary's Laundry Room
The southeast corner of the penitentiary walls, where the "cooler" is seen in the foreground and Table Rock in the background.
A section of cells at house four
A section of cells at five house (maximum security)
The Rose Garden where serious punishments took place.
A view of the pen's recreational area and cell house two.
Cell houses three (left) and two (right) with cell house four in the background.