I am amazed at how many weird and strange historic sites there are these days that have become pricey tourist attractions because of their link to something supernatural.
Don't get me wrong, I will stop and buy a ticket to tour any odd jail or asylum on a road trip every time I can, but there are a TON of great locations out there with similar dark and mysterious pasts that you can visit for a few bucks!
For example......
I think we paid $3 each to visit the Franklin County Jail in Benton, Illinois.
This is a great place to visit if you are interested in unique small town history. It is also a great place to add to your "Ghoulish Places to Visit at Halloween" list.
First off, this is a great old jail that has been converted into a local museum. You can still walk through the old jail area! Check out the pealing paint, and the dated graffiti on the walls (see photos). Plus, there is no tour guide leading you through the area, so you can pretty much leisurely walk around and take it all in as long as you want! For such a cool old site, they are very comfortable with letting people explore unbothered.They have many strange relics on display, including a replica gallows standing where the actual hanging of Charlie Birger occurred. AND, the museum has just acquired the ORIGINAL wood that made up the actual gallows used in the hanging!
In the gift shop area, postcards are sold showing the last moments of Charlie's life!The museum covers a lot of local history too (not just the dark stuff). Of interest to classic rock fans like myself is a display on George Harrison, who visited this town on a visit BEFORE the rest of his band mates in the Beatles came to the US! Items from his visit to the local radio station are preserved here, along with articles relating to the house where he stayed at the time. If you are a Beatles fan, it is easily worth the price of admission to see the George stuff!
Benton is a cool town in general too. This entire Southern Illinois area is really growing on me.
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