| City/Town: • Muscotah |
| Location Class: • Jail |
| Built: • ~1908 | Abandoned: • N/A |
| Status: • Abandoned |
| Photojournalist: • Craig Figge |
The Muscotah City Jail cell is one of the best-preserved cells I have seen regardless of it sitting in the elements for many years. The cell was designed and manufactured by E.T. Barnum, a popular and common producer of these jail cells in the early 1900s. Some that resemble this cell are ones located in Sylvia, Tescott, and Humboldt. A newspaper story published in 1908 included below gives an idea of when the cell was made.
The Atchison Daily Champion May 13, 1908 – The Beatrice bloodhounds were sent to Muscotah yesterday to run down the party or parties who burglarized W.C. Allisons store night before last. There was very strong circumstantial evidence against a local man known as “Midnight” Williams, and the work of the bloodhounds strengthened the theory Williams is the guilty man…. A trapper named Vancil says he saw Williams about two o’clock in the morning as he was going home. Williams was released from the state reformatory six weeks ago and Sheriff Smith took him back once for violating his parole. He is being held in the city jail in Muscotah and it is believed that convicting evidence will yet be found….
Gallery Below of Muscotah Jail
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