Checking out the 1859 Jail & Marshal's Home Museum

We saw this when we went to get our tickets to Truman's House as it's right next store to the national park office. Since we had time after lunch before our tour at the Truman House, we figure we could check it out since it was only a couple blocks from Truman's house.

The name of this is a bit misleading as yes it's a jail and a house but it's really 2 separate museums of sorts -- the marshal's home and the 1859 jail that are combined into one place. Yes, the jail marshal lived in the house and yes the jail was an operating jail but they really don't tell the same story per se.

The Marshal's home shows a typical home in the late 1850's. You see the dining room on the first floor and the sleeping quarters on the second floor. You also view the parlor and the Jackson County's Marshal's Office. In each room are artifacts that would be used in a typical home of that time period.

The Jail is a typical 1850's Jail -- stone and cramped with minimal necessities.

The best part of the whole self-guided tour is Frank James' cell. Frank James was Jesse James brother and he was treated as royalty at the jail during his stay. He was just as mean as his brother.

The 1859 Jail & Marshal's Home Museum is very interesting but besides Frank James' cell nothing you don't see any place else. If you have time to kill, it is worth checking out. I'm glad we checked it out because how often can you see famous 1850's gangsters jail cells?