The Squirrel Cage Jail in Council Bluffs, Iowa, is a fascinating piece of history. Designed by William H. Brown and Benjamin F. Haugh, it was patented on July 12, 1881, as a revolutionary approach to jail design. The structure features a unique “lazy-susan” style of rotating cells that allowed for the management of prisoners without direct contact with jailers.
Constructed at a cost of $30,000, this three-story jail operated from 1884 until 1969, serving Pottawattamie County and housing numerous inmates over the years. Its distinctive pie-shaped cells were part of a massive metal turntable, which, while innovative at the time, eventually succumbed to wear and tear…