March 8, 1836
The Missouri State Penitentiary gets its first prisoner. Wilson Edison made history as the first inmate to be checked into the new prison in Jefferson City. He had the place to himself for a week until inmate number two showed up. At one point, the facility was overcrowded with more than 2,000 inmates. It was decommissioned in 2004 and is now a tourist site.
Based upon content from the book Missouri 365: This Day in Missouri History by John W. Brown, broadcaster and Missouri historian. Get your copy at Reedy Press.
Photo: Public domain.
Related Posts
March 3, 1911
Jean Harlow, the original "blonde bombshell," was born in Kansas City. She was famous for pinup posters, movies, and her ability to make front-page news in Hollywood magazines.
March 2, 1944
The Kansas City school board agrees to hire married women to teach. Though many women were already teaching, school districts across the state had barred married women from the jobs, so they could focus on duties at home. As of 2019, more than 80 percent of teachers nationwide were women.
March 8, 1836
The new Missouri State Penitentiary welcomed its first prisoner, a burglar from Greene County.