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EIGHT FORTY-EIGHT
Cool Spots
Want a quick, quirky roadtrip? Eight Forty-Eight's Gianofer
Fields and author Jerry Pohlen scout for strange and surprising destinations
just a car ride away from the Chicago area.
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225 N. Washington St.
Carfordsville, IN
765.362.5222
originally broadcast 6.21.02 |
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| If squirrels have been wrecking
havoc with your garden, you may share "Cool Spots"
traveler Jerry Pohlen's desire to check out a prison known
as the Squirrel Cage Jail.
Unfortunately for those of you looking for a novel way to
control the squirrel population, this "squirrel jail"
isn't really for squirrels. It's actually the Rotary Jail
of Montgomery County—one of seven known rotary jails
and the last one in operating condition. The jail's cells
are within a two-story turntable with one opening on each
floor. To let a prisoner out of the jail, the guard would
rotate the turntable of cells until the correct prisoner's
cell was at the opening.
Construction of the jail was completed in 1882 and the jail
remained in use until 1967, although the rotating turntable
was immobilized in 1939. During the jail's operations, it
was repeatedly condemned and thus had to be modified to meet
building codes.
The jail now functions as a museum housing items related
to the history of both the building and life in Montgomery
County, Indiana. And while it contains many cultural items,
unfortunately none of its exhibits focus on controlling squirrel
populations.
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Check out more Cool Spots:
"I’ll tell you up front, I’ve never been a big
fan of vacation hot spots. Take the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone.
Haven’t they been done? When you show your friends a photo
of Mount Rushmore, are you really surprised when they yawn? Face
it, you’re competing with a license plate."
—Jerry Pohlen, author of Oddball Illinois
and Oddball Wisconsin, Oddball Indiana, Oddball Colorado,
and the new Oddball Minnesota.
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