17-05-2025
‘In Cold Blood' killers hanged on gallows like these added to Kansas prison tour
When the Lansing Historical Society and Museum began offering tours of the decommissioned Kansas State Penitentiary last year, the historic prison was missing an important piece that could help drive home the haunting history of the facility.
The gallows, where 15 penitentiary inmates were executed by hanging, were no longer there.
That changed on Friday when the historical society unveiled a replica of the original gallows within the confines of the former prison. Unable to secure the return of the original historic structure, the Society's board voted unanimously to build a reproduction, which is now a feature of the prison tours. This reproduction will allow visitors to experience a key element of the prison's past.
'The gallows, it's a somber reminder of a part of our past,' said Debra Bates-Lamborn, president of the Lansing Historical Society and Museum. 'This is something that we grew up with, knowing they were there. And if we were to ignore that and not present it because of issues with capital punishment and whatnot, we'd be remiss,' she added. 'We chose to bring another piece of our penitentiary history, even though it's a replica, back on display.'
Years after the brutal 1959 Clutter family murders in Holcomb, Kansas, the convicted killers Richard 'Dick' Hickock and Perry Smith swung on the gallows until death on April 14, 1965 at the Kansas State Penitentiary. While their execution marked a significant moment in the highly publicized 'In Cold Blood' case, they were not the last to be executed at the prison. Just months later, in June 1965, convicted killers George York and James Latham were also executed there, making them the final individuals to face capital punishment at the Lansing facility.
Bates-Lamborn said the original gallows were built in 1944. They were transferred to the Kansas State Historical Society in the 1980's and are now part of the Kansas Museum of History in Topeka, where they sit disassembled in the basement.
Because of a Kansas law in the 1860s that outlawed public hangings, Bates-Lamborn explained that the gallows were situated inside the warehouse, away from the view of other prisoners.
On March 10, 1944, prison Warden Robert Hudspeth oversaw the first execution by hanging of Ernest Hoefgen, 31, a confessed murderer in the shooting death of Bruce Small, 18, a Kansas State College student. Dressed in a white prison suit with a #2 on it, representing his cell's number, Hoefgen's hanging was the first state-supervised execution in Kansas since 1870.
The original Kansas State Penitentiary, also known as the Lansing Correctional Facility, closed in 2020 after a new, modern facility was opened on the same grounds. Managed by the Lansing Historical Society, the prison tours have been popular.
'The tours have been doing great, we had about 1,200 people go through since March,' said Bates-Lamborn. 'And we've had schools come through, criminal justice classes, eager to learn the history, the true crime of this place.'
The reproduction of the gallows is certain to evoke strong emotions for visitors. Tom Young, a member of the Lansing Historical Society, led the team of Paul Lamborn, John Craig, and Randy Elliott, who quickly built the replica over a couple of days. Young explained that he went to Topeka, to learn more about the original gallows stored there.
'The state architect or whoever disassembled it, made blueprints of it when they moved it to the museum,' Young said. 'So, they gave me those and we worked off of those plans.' On the size and dimensions, Young said 'I didn't have to guess because the guy gave us measurements, all the specs were already done for us.'
The replica now stands stark against the backdrop of the prison walls. The timber and the distinct design spoke of finality. Young described the dimensions, 'The platform is eight feet off the ground,' he said. 'And then the main hanging beam that goes diagonally across the trapdoor ended up being about 16-feet, nine inches.' The trapdoor, he noted, measuring 37x41 inches was made intentionally 'not operable.' Young mentioned that his grandfather, Frank Young, a prison employee who was in charge of the machine shop, helped produce the trap door for the original gallows. 'I kind of feel turnkey, you know, knowing that he had something to do with the original one back in 1944 and then I basically made a reproduction.'
Young found the replica straightforward to build. 'I am happy how it turned out.' He added that a noose was securely fastened with 'about five screws' to prevent anyone from trying to remove it. Young said Friday he hopes to create a more accurate noose from a thicker rope.
Under bright blue skies, visitors toured the reproduction gallows near Building No. 2, also known as death row, which stands approximately 200 feet from the original gallows' warehouse location. 'It absolutely evoked emotions when I turned the corner to see it,' said Todd Thompson, Leavenworth County Attorney, who viewed the gallows on Friday. 'It's really haunting because you see it within the facility and you see those that actually were hanged,' he said. ' And it just makes you think about what has happened here, that this isn't just, a fun tour, but something that you can take with you and hopefully instill to people like what it's like to violate crime and what the repercussions of that is.'
The tour guides will be trained to discuss this history with sensitivity, Bates-Lamborn explained. A metal sign is at the bottom of the 13 steps with a profile picture of the 15 men who were hanged. Their names and the dates that they were executed are on the sign.
Bates-Lamborn emphasized the human element of the gallows. 'People are very interested in hearing the stories,' she said. 'Not being able to tell the story of these 15 men is one thing, but being able to tell the story of these 15 men who were executed here is another.'
'We grew up in the shadow of the penitentiary... it's such a large part of our community's history,' said Bates-Lamborn. 'The gallows are not something that we're wanting to sensationalize, but people want to see what it looked like,' she said. 'And because we couldn't produce it, we came up with this idea.'
More than just a structure of wood and rope, the gallows serve as a powerful symbol of history that will not be forgotten.
Tours of the prison are conducted on Friday, Saturday and Sundays through the end of October.
Some of the men who were executed on the original Kansas State Penitentiary gallows:
Perry Smith and Richard Hickock (1965): Convicted for the Clutter family murders ('In Cold Blood').
Lowell Lee Andrews (1962): Executed for murdering his parents and sister.
Ernest Hoefgen (1944)
Clark B. Knox (1944)
Fred Brady (1944)
George Ronald York (1965)
James Douglas Latham (1965)
