SPOILER ALERT! THIS POST CONTAINS PHOTOS AND DETAILS OF KINGSTON PENITENTIARY AND IT’S MUSEUM. IF YOU PLAN ON SEEING KINGSTON PENN AND DON’T WANT ANY DETAILS RUINED FOR YOURSELF STOP READING NOW! 

Welcome to part 2 of the Kingston Penitentiary Tour blog! When you go to Kingston Penn there are actually two types of tours, your standard and your premium. Me being the lucky person I am and having a badass Mum and Step dad I saw the premium tour. 

When you turn into the parking lot this sign is posted. It really takes you back and sets the mood for what you’re about to experience. A lot of people asked my family and I why would you would want to go see a prison? The answer, because I want to experience prison without doing the crime to get into prison. 

Above is the first locking door that visitors see. You’d think this would be way into the prison but it’s not, you walk past a tiny check in desk and turn a corner and this is the door you see. From then on, all the doors lock, but don’t worry they’re kept open for the tours. 

Above is the shoe outline where visitors had to stand while they got searched. Lets just take a moment and notice that one of the outlines are children size. 

Above is simple to notice, is visiting tables for segregation inmates. You’ve seen it in movies but it’s crazy when you see it in person. 

The front gates from the inside. A guard actually died where we were standing, he came in with a truck but two inmates hid in his car and killed him. 

The Keepers House, that’s not the cool part of this photo though. Back in the day segregation was called the ‘hole’, the reason for that was because it was literally a hole in the ground, in pitch black. The hole for Kingston Penn is on either side of the sidewalk in this picture. To get to it, you go through the Keepers House. 

The Dome of general population. Remember that broken bell in part 1? It was in the center of this dome so it would echo throughout the prison. This dome is amazing, if and when you go stand in the middle of you can. When you’re there a old guard will talk to you about the dome and his experience which is amazing to hear. 

General population was one of the coolest parts because those are the cells you see in movies. You actually get to go in them, and sit in the stuff. The things you see in the cell are actual belongs that inmates left behind when they got moved. 

Before Kingston Penn closed painting your cell would cost you $20, that’s two weeks worth of their pay. However, when the guards found out that KP was closing they told the inmates to leave their marks free of charge. 

During the tour I was leaning against this phone listening to my tour guide talk. At one point he said there was only one murder that happened on this cell range and it happened at that phone. The story is there was one guy on the phone and another sitting at the table beside the phone. The guy at the table moved his chair which made that noise, the guy on the phone thought that was a sign for something so he killed him. 

I was shocked when I saw a segregation cell, for some reason I thought they would be a shithole but it’s really not. They’re bigger, have storage, mirror, more space, a window and a room to yourself; only downfall you’re locked up 23 hours of the day. 

Alright let’s play a guessing game! Who was in this cell? I’ll give you some clues: (1.) He’s Canadian. (2.) He’s a serial killer. (3.) He was married. (4.) He was declared a dangerous offered. If you’re Canadian this will be easy if not it may be harder. 

Now because I was on the premium tour we got to see a little bit more than the standard, obviously. The hospital was one of them, it was small and kinda creepy but I hate hospitals to begin with. 

This was an old x-ray machine, in the corner there was an x-ray of an inmate. 

Pych Ward. Again this was part of the premium tour besides the gym.

Our last picture for part two is the rec yard. When you’re on the tour they tell you about how people use to escape over the wall back in the day, keep in mind back then the wall was made of wood and not that tall. I thought it would have been bigger since this prison was so big but I guess you forget they don’t have very many rights. It’s weird to think about how there is a beautiful lake on the other side of the wall. 

Stick around for part 3 coming soon!

Thanks for reading.

Maeg.