Squirrel Cage Jail - Council Bluffs, IA - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

The following information is from "A Sightseer's Guide to Engineering".

The county jail was built in 1865 at a cost of $30,000, most of which was spent on engineering. The so-called "Squirrel Cage Jail" is essentially a three-story lazy-susan, with each level divided into 10 pie-shaped cells. A jailer could rotate the entire unit with just a hand crank. The design was patented in 1881 by William H. Brown and Benjamin F. Haugh, both of Indianapolis, "to produce a jail in which prisoners can be controlled without the necessity of personal contact between them and the jailer." The jail held up to 63 prisoners, who could not leave their cells unless their cell was cranked around to the single doorway on their level.

The jail is now operated as a museum.

Address: 226 Pearl Street (I-80 Exit 3) Council Bluffs, IA USA 51503 Open to the public: Yes Hours: Apr-Oct. W-Sa 10 am - 4 pm, Su 1-4 pm Fees?: $7 for adults Web link: Not listed

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