Leavenworth and the word "prison" have been synonymous
through the power of the silver screen throughout the years. Leavenworth,
Lansing and Fort Leavenworth have four prisons located in the area.
None of these facilities allow public tours.
By a special act of Congress, the reservation for the
U.S. Penitentiary was deeded by the War Department to the Justice
Department in 1897 to build the United States Federal penitentiary
(USP) in Leavenworth, Kansas. The decision was made, at least in part,
based on the labor available from the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at
Ft. Leavenworth. They, in fact, were used for the first phase of construction
and were the first prisoners to be incarcerated in 1903. The first
cell house opened in 1906, and USP was completed in the mid-1920's.
This prison is the largest maximum security prison in the United States,
housing approximately 2,000 inmates.
National Archives Central Plains Region
2312 E. Bannister Road
Kansas City, MO 64131
816-926-6272
