Longton Jail

The relic that is Longton Jail is a staple piece of history in the old town. A bit bigger than other calabooses this tiny jail was completed in the fall of 1905. It has a concrete floor, a skeet-iron lined on the ceiling and doors on two sides with windows on the other two and finished having a final cost of $200. It has room for the Longton Marshal and two beds for inmates. Surprisingly this jail was used until around 1970 about 10-20 years after these jails typically stopped being used.

Longton Jail takes the cake on jailhouse rock making a cameo in a cover music video below by Jerred Angle and Adam Young starring some of their friends. Since its abandonment, the small community has fought to preserve this jail for future generations to be able to visit this piece of history. The roof is leaking, it has no glass covering the old bar windows, and there are cracks in the floor.

The restoration of this building has come to a halt due to the amount of water coming in through the roof. The cleaning and painting of one-half of the inside started last year through donations. The community would like to see this as close to the original as possible. Any amount would be greatly appreciated as it is not in the city’s budget to fix it. You may make donations to the City of Longton in care of the City Jail Fund, 501 Kansas, Longton, KS 67352.

Gallery Below of Longton Jail

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