Crawfordsville, Indiana: Rotary Jail That Rotates
RoadsideAmerica.com Team Field Report
Rotary Jail Museum
- Address:
- 225 N. Washington St., Crawfordsville, IN
- Directions:
- Rotary Jail Museum. From Indianapolis, I-74 west to the second Crawfordsville exit. Head south from the exit on US Hwy 231 for several miles (less than 15) until you reach the museum on your right. An old, red brick house-like building; doesn't look rotary from the outside.
- Hours:
- Summer W-Sa 10-5; Spring-Fall 10-3. Closed Jan-Feb. (Call to verify)
- Phone:
- 765-362-5222
- Admission:
- Adults $5.
- RA Rates:
- Worth a Detour
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The first rotary jail built in the U.S., a practical-if-crazy 19th century innovation in which there was only one door, and the cells spun around to let inmates in and out. It's the only surviving rotary jail that still rotates.
Roadsideamerica.com Report... [03/06/2022]Visitor Tips and News About Rotary Jail That Rotates
Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.
Not only is this jail a fascinating history, the architecture is worth the trip all on its own. In one building is the home/county office of the sheriff, and the jail. The mechanism of the jail cells still works!
[Peggy, 05/25/2025]This was an amazing stop. The gentleman who gave the tour was a local, well-versed in the history and quirks of the jail. We got to watch as he hand-cranked the jail to rotate one cell at a time. The rest of the building was very interesting, too.
[Mary Beth Traynor, 07/11/2022]
The rotary jail is inside the sheriff's residence. Jail and house was built for $26,000. Originally they forgot to add a kitchen! That added $4,000 and cost the three commissioners their jobs.
[Ron Renken, 09/05/2015]
The Rotary Jail Museum houses the only working rotary cell block in the country. Built in 1881 as the Montgomery County, Indiana jail, the cell block was designed to rotate in a complete circle, weighs approximately 32 tons, and is hand cranked.
The mechanism was immobilized in the late 1930s and was restored to working condition when it became a museum in 1975.
[Tamara Hemmerlein, 08/08/2010]Page of 2 [Next 1 items]
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Sept. 2015 - photo added.