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Museum of Colorado Prisons

The Museum of Colorado Prisons

Located off U.S. Highway 50, Museum of Colorado Prisons is located in the former state women’s prison. The prison is just east of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility. The museum features exhibits that are interesting to visitors, including the Deputy Warden’s house, an art collection, and the history of the prison system. Haunted exhibits are also available for the brave.

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Deputy Warden’s House

In a former women’s prison next to the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Canon City, you can visit the Deputy Warden’s House Museum of the Colorado Prisons. Built in 1901, this historic home was once the residence of the deputy warden. Today, the museum displays exhibits and relics from the prison’s past. It is important to note that the first inmate arrived in Canon City in 1871, and the house still stands today.

When the Deputy Warden’s House Museum opened in 2001, it was one of the first historical attractions to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since then, the building has been vacant since the Department of Corrections removed its staff. In 2001, the building was designated as an endangered place by the Colorado Preservation, Inc. nonprofit. The museum plans to continue to preserve the historic home and provide a place for visitors to learn about the history of the prison.

Art Collection

The Museum of Colorado Prisons is located east of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility in Caon City, Colorado. The museum is housed in a former state women’s prison. Several pieces in the collection date back to the early 1800s. The museum’s collection consists of both original and reproduction works. You can view these works and more in a beautiful setting. Visiting this museum is free and open to the public.

The museum has an extensive art collection donated by a former corrections officer Nancy Skeff, who processed more than 30,000 prisoners. The museum rotates these pieces of art each year. The museum is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is supported through tours, donations, and fund-raising events. There are also many ways to support the museum and its exhibits. Here are a few ways to help.

History of the Prison System

Overcrowding was a problem in the early 1870s, prompting the Colorado legislature to approve funds for a new penitentiary. The prison was to be located in the Colorado Territory. Mark Shaffenburg, U.S. Marshal of Colorado Territory, was chosen to supervise the construction project. Inmate labor was employed to build irrigation ditches and roads in the area, and prisoners were also paid minimum wage.

Located in a former women’s prison building, the Museum of Colorado Prisons covers 140 years of the prison’s history. It was opened to the public on June 18, 1988, and has since attracted more than 200,000 visitors, representing all 50 states and more than 50 countries. Visitors can tour the building to learn about infamous inmates and the system. It also provides an opportunity for visitors to explore prison life in Colorado and meet the inmates who once lived there.

Haunted Exhibits

Haunted exhibits at the Museum of Colorado Prisons in Caon City, CO, are sure to spook visitors. This museum is housed in an abandoned state women’s prison and is located east of the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility. The prison was once a high-security facility with a notoriously high murder rate. You can even see ghostly apparitions roaming the prison grounds.

Visitors can also experience the true horror of these haunted places at the Museum of Colorado Prisons. The prisons date all the way back to 1871, when the first territorial prison was built. In honor of Halloween, the prison holds a paranormal investigation. Visitors must be 16 years old or older. Afterward, the paranormal investigators will provide a video recording of the investigation.

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