Jackson County Jail and Marshal's House
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The 1859 Jail Museum | |
 Front of the jail | |
   | |
| Location | 217 N. Main St., Independence, Missouri |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°5′36″N 94°24′55″W / 39.09333°N 94.41528°W |
| Area | 0.2 acres (0.081 ha) |
| Built | 1859 |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000333[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 15, 1970 |
The Jackson County's 1859 Jail Museum in Independence, Missouri, United States was constructed in 1859 as a county jail for Jackson County, Missouri. It was decommissioned and replaced in 1933. It has been restored as a public museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.[1]
The building was designed by A. B. Cross, a notable early architect in Kansas City, Missouri, and was constructed in 1859. The front is a home for the jailer, and the rear has twelve limestone jail cells. A brick structure was added on to the rear of the original jail in 1907, to house chain gangs who worked on roads, sewers, and other public projects.[2]
The jailer's office formed part of the residence, but has a separate entryway from the house. The jail consisted of six upstairs and six downstairs cells, with two-foot thick walls of limestone blocks. A single kerosene lamp in the hallway provided the only light at night. Two doors, one of grated iron and one of solid iron, were provided for each cell, as was a window covered with grated iron that permitted wind from the outside to enter.[3] The cells were not heated, and some prisoners died of exposure.[4] Each cell is six by nine feet and intended for three prisoners, though during the Civil War, up to twenty prisoners were confined in each one.[3]
The jailer's wife cooked meals for her family and the prisoners, in a small kitchen at the back of the house. The jailer was paid about US$50 (equivalent to about $1,700 in 2024) per month plus the use of the house.[3]
Some of the crimes charged upon its prisoners prior to the Civil War included: horse racing on public streets, firing guns in town, operating a gaming house, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, disturbing a religious meeting, or building a privy "not over a pit".[3]
