JEFFERSON CITY, MO. (AP) -- Leaky roofs and crumbling walls haven't deterred thousands of people from touring an old state prison in Missouri's capital city.
More than 3,000 people paid to go on "hard hat tours" this year of the former Missouri State Penitentiary. The Jefferson City
News-Tribune says 60 bus tours with more than 50 passengers each already have scheduled visits for 2010.
The prison opened in 1836 and closed in September 2004. At the time, it was the oldest continuously operating prison west of the Mississippi River.
State and local officials now are trying to redevelop the site. A couple of state office buildings already have been built there, and a new federal courthouse is under construction.
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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