Missouri State Penitentiary

• by George Bailey • Published: March 27, 2007

Though clearly not a cause for pride as such, the Missouri State Penitentiary is something of an historical site. To begin with, it is the oldest state penitentiary west of the Mississippi. Built in 1835, the structure radically boosted the Jefferson City economy. In fact, without the benefits of prison labor, the elite neighborhood along East Capitol Avenue would not have been possible. In 1888 the prison was acknowledged to be the largest in the world! In the mid-twentieth century, the Missouri State pen gained notoriety for the frequency and intensity of violence amongst its inmates. Beginning in 1954, a three-day riot ensued that required assistance from the National Guard. Once more, over the year 1963, repeated incidents of serious violence put the prison on the pages of "Time" magazine, where it was called the "bloodiest 47 acres in America". A number of historical figures did time there, including the boxer Sonny Liston and the alleged assassin of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In fact, Liston first put on boxing gloves inside the prison walls; Ray is famed for escaping from The Missouri State Prison in an enormous bread-box.