When the Lansing Historical Society and Museum began offering tours of the decommissioned Kansas State Penitentiary last year, the historic prison was missing an important piece that could help drive home the haunting history of the facility.
The gallows, where 15 penitentiary inmates were executed by hanging, were no longer there.
That changed on Friday when the historical society unveiled a replica of the original gallows within the confines of the former prison. Unable to secure the return of the original historic structure, the Society’s board voted unanimously to build a reproduction, which is now a feature of the prison tours. This reproduction will allow visitors to experience a key element of the prison’s past.
“The gallows, it’s a somber reminder of a part of our past,” said Debra Bates-Lamborn, president of the Lansing Historical Society and Museum. “This is something that we grew up with, knowing they were there. And if we were to ignore that and not present it because of issues with capital punishment and whatnot, we’d be remiss,” she added. “We chose to bring another piece of our penitentiary history, even though it’s a replica, back on display.”
Years after the brutal 1959 Clutter family murders in Holcomb, Kansas, the convicted killers Richard “Dick” Hickock and Perry Smith swung on the gallows until death on April 14, 1965 at the Kansas State Penitentiary. While their execution marked a significant moment in the highly publicized “In Cold Blood” case, they were not the last to be executed at the prison. Just months later, in June 1965, convicted killers George York and James Latham were also executed there, making them the final individuals to face capital punishment at the Lansing facility.
The first execution at KSP
Bates-Lamborn said the original gallows were built in 1944. They were transferred to the Kansas State Historical Society in the 1980’s and are now part of the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, where they sit disassembled in the basement…