Colorado's 'museum of prisons' houses gas chamber, hosts paranormal nights, & more

The Museum of Colorado Prisons is a historical cell house-turned-museum that's located in Cañon City and meant to showcase the "atmosphere and exhibits of days, staff and inmates gone by."

The museum shares a stone wall and armed towers with the Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility, which has been in operation since 1871. Opened on June 18, 1988, the museum includes exhibits covering more than 140 years.

The idea for the museum came from Fremont County residents. The Colorado State Legislature approved the project to turn the former Women's Prison building into a museum in 1986, giving Cañon City a 99-year lease to use the cell house as such.

The museum depicts prison life and consists of 30 inmate cells, an office space, and a gift shop on the upper level. The lower level includes the dining room, archival storage, a general-purpose room, an original kitchen, isolation cells, a Federal Prison Display, and a laundry room.

Each cell depicts an aspect of life in prison for inmates and guards, including working and living conditions, punishments, and more. Other exhibits feature things like the Prison Riots of 1929 and 1947, a gas chamber , and infamous inmates like Alfred Packer and Anton Woode .

The museum also hosts "Paranormal Investigation Nights," in which visitors can engage in a night of ghost hunting. Special exhibits are also present throughout the year, highlighting female wardens, K-9 training programs, and more.

Plan a trip to the museum here .

STAY INFORMED: Get free Colorado news with our daily newsletter (Click here)