The court in Daviess County ordered the building of the famous rotating “Squirrel Cage Jail” in Gallatin. This eight-sided jail contained eight small wedge-shaped cells which rotated so that only one was adjacent to a door at any one time. This limited the chance for escape but stirred many humane objections. This type of “Lazy Susan Jail” was also built for Nodaway County at Maryville and DeKalb County at Maysville.

This post was contributed by Ross Malone. A historian and a retired school teacher, Ross has authored many books about Missouri’s history, weird facts, and folk tales. He has also written children’s historical fiction. Visit his website, and buy his books in the Missouri Life store.