In 2004, the Missouri State Penitentiary in Jefferson City was decommissioned after 168 years of operation. At the time of its closure, the penitentiary was the oldest continually operating prison west of the Mississippi River. In the spring of 2009, the Jefferson City Convention and Visitors Bureau reopened the doors to the Penitentiary and is now offering hard hat tours through many of the penitentiary buildings.

Visitors begin the tour by entering the penitentiary through the same building the inmates did. The tour allows visitors to look at many of the cells, including the cells that were home to infamous inmates such as heavyweight champion Sonny Liston and James Earl Ray. Also featured on the tour is the gas chamber where 40 inmates were executed, the buried cells, several housing units and the upper yard.

Tickets for the tour are $12 per person and can be purchased at www.MissouriPenTours.com or www.VisitJeffersonCity.com. Tickets are also available by calling toll free, (866) 998-6998 or locally (573) 632-2820.