Springfield's 1891 city jail — where Missouri's last legal hanging noose is on display and officers reported unexplained sounds long after the cells went quiet.
409 W McDaniel St, Springfield, MO 65806
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free to view exterior; interior access varies by event or open-house schedule.
Access
Limited Access
Historic stone structure; limited interior accessibility.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1891 · Oldest city-owned structure in Springfield · National Register of Historic Places · Missouri's last legal hanging artifacts on display
The Calaboose was constructed in 1891 to serve as Springfield's primary city lockup, booking residents for offenses ranging from public intoxication and theft to assault. The limestone structure sits at the corner of W McDaniel and Campbell Avenue and is the oldest building still owned by the City of Springfield.
A woman attempting to escape from the rooftop in the late 1800s fell to her death — one of the earliest documented fatalities associated with the structure. For decades the building processed the city's most routine criminal cases before being retired from active duty as a holding facility.
The building's most striking artifact is the hood and noose used in the 1937 hanging of Roscoe 'Red' Jones, executed for murder at the Greene County jail — Missouri's last legal hanging before the state shifted to other methods. These items are now displayed inside the Calaboose, which serves as a police substation and museum. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places, recognizing its architectural and civic significance.
Sources
Officers who worked in the Calaboose after it was converted to a police substation described hearing sounds they couldn't attribute to the building's age or settling — footsteps, bangs, and voices in empty rooms. Some reported objects moving from where they had been left. These accounts, shared candidly by former officers, weren't tied to organized paranormal investigation but to ordinary on-duty experience.
The presence of the 1937 hanging apparatus — hood and rope — lends the building a particular weight for visitors. Whether tied to specific events or to the cumulative weight of the building's history as a holding cell and later a display case for execution, the Calaboose has a reputation among Springfield residents that has outlasted its operational years as a jail.
The 1891 limestone Calaboose sits at the corner of W McDaniel and Campbell, with interpretive plaques describing its role as Springfield's city jail and NRHP-listed status. The exterior can be examined freely.
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