Old Pen

This past weekend out friends Sarah & Brian were in town visiting, and we had a fantastic time. One of the highlights was a tour of the Old Penitentiary, which was used from the late 1800s to the mid-1970s, when a riot and general condemnation forced its closure.

We really enjoyed the guided tour and learning about all the failed attempt escapes--it seems the criminals really never put so much thought into follow-through, many inmates got through one security barrier but forgot about the next 2-3 and I think there were only two successful escapes in the jail's history. Amazing!

It made me really excited for our tour this next weekend of one of the country's most storied jails--Alcatraz!