Literary Heritage and Dark Past: Lansing Opens Former Death Cells to Tourists

In Lansing, Kansas, a historic site is opening its doors to visitors: the former Kansas State Penitentiary. This sandstone fortress, which Truman Capote once described as a "black-and-white palace with turrets," was the setting of his famous work "In Cold Blood." It was here that Capote interviewed the convicted murderers Dick Hickock and Perry Smith, whose horrific crimes in 1959 shocked all of America. In a last-ditch effort to save the former prison from demolition, the Lansing Historical Society has reached an agreement with the Kansas Department of Corrections. Starting next Friday, the facility will be accessible for tours. But that's not all: on September 28, the society is also planning a car show on the premises. With these measures, the historical society hopes to attract tourists to the city of Lansing, which has around 11,000 residents and is located approximately 25 miles northwest of Kansas City, Missouri.