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Liberty Jail, Liberty, MO

Photo: Americasroof at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingHistory BuffLocal Gem

Liberty Jail

See a full-scale cutaway model of the 1830s Clay County jail where Joseph Smith was held through the winter of 1838 to 1839.

216 North Main Street, Liberty, MO · Liberty, MO

About Liberty Jail

Joseph Smith and five other Latter-day Saint leaders were held in the Clay County jail in Liberty from December 1, 1838, to April 6, 1839, and letters he wrote there became part of Latter-day Saint scripture. The original two-room stone jail is gone; the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought the site in 1939 and opened a visitors' center in 1963. Inside, a full-scale model is cut away so you can see both the upper room and the dungeon below, with exhibits on the prisoners and their families. Parking is on site.

  • #historic site
  • #church history
  • #visitor center
  • #jail
  • #missouri history

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