These scenes were taken during an open house after rotary jail renovations were completed. The celebration included a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mike Kemna of Western Missouri Correction Center doing the honors. This was the first of many public tours offered at the jail. For many years an open house was hosted during Gallatin’s fall Chautauqua festival; appointments for touring the rotary jail can be made at any approved time.





Promotions and fundraising events helped generate interest an support for rotary jail renovations. A significant fundraiser was the sale of engraved bricks for sidewalk display surrounding the rotary jail.

Restoring the 1889 Squirrel Cage Jail required an ongoing effort to publicize efforts to gain community support. Here members of Gallatin Rotary Club consider the details of a table model of the jail on display at McDonald Tea Room. Among those showing interest is Dale Alexander, Larry Richards, Brice Terry, Vance Hefley,and Danny Dixon.

A scale model of the Daviess County 1889 Squirrel Cage Jail was positioned in a display case for promotional use. At different times this displayed at the Jesse James Farm near Kearney and also at neighboring Jamesport, where Amish ways attract visitors in huge numbers annually.

The incredible link of the Estate of Helen Roosevelt to Daviess County’s squirrel cage jail is described on this plaque on display in the jailhouse. Gallatin attorney Henry Clay McDougal was family relation to Ms. Roosevelt, leading to an endowment for the historic jail’s use as a visitors’ center.

The first of four in a series of china plates, sold by the Gallatin Community Development Association in 1993, feature the 1889 Daviess County Squirrel Cage Jail. The plates coincided with the re-opening of the antique jail. Shown are tourism committee co-chairmen Carol O’Hare and Dan Lockridge.