Jeff Kluever fears the old Allen County Jail is so old that it’s nearing the days of when it no longer can be used as a museum.
In a tour of the building Monday morning, Kluever, director of the Allen County Historical Society, pointed out grievous signs of disrepair that are putting the building’s viability in jeopardy.
On the outside, the mortar between the massive limestone blocks is eroding so badly that in spots, vegetation sprouts.
Inside the building, plaster on the walls and ceiling is disintegrating to the point it’s falling away in chunks; three of the window frames have rotted away so that there’s a good half-inch of free-flowing air between them and the panes of glass.
Kluever is striving to attract notice to the old jail’s condition in hopes of raising the $10,000 needed to qualify for a $50,000 grant through the Heritage Trust Foundation.
The $50,000 would go “a long ways” in making necessary repairs to the 142-year-old building, Kluever said. The jail is one of only two buildings in Allen County listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
It’s also a unique piece of local history. On the main floor of the jail are four primitive cells; outside this “cage” is one cell used for solitary confinement, “or for a female prisoner, or perhaps as a drunk tank,” said Kleuver.
Upstairs is the jailer’s quarters, a rather spacious and tidy affair, including an office, kitchen, laundry room and bedroom. In later years the upstairs was converted into more cells, Kleuver said, by evidence of an iron-plated wall. The jail was in use from 1869 to 1958.
The upstairs was redesigned into living quarters when it was converted into a public museum, opening in 1962.
In the almost 50 years since, little has been done to keep the building up to snuff.
THE MUSEUM director is a one-man operation.
“I’m the director, the custodian, and whatever else you want to call me,” he said with a smile.
Kleuver credits his legion of volunteers, his “lifesavers,” for the many programs and services that keep the museums in front of the public’s eye. Three of the complex’s five buildings are more than 100 years old.
He has a budget of about $71,000, “of which 95 percent is spent before we can look at doing anything fun,” he said of the demands of the buildings’ upkeep, including utilities.
A breakdown shows Allen County contributes $26,500 a year and the City of Iola about $13,000 from its Convention and Tourism Distribution Fund, which varies from year to year. The rest comes from membership dues and donations. A small amount comes from bequests that people leave in their wills for the historical society.
During these tough economic times, Kleuver doesn’t dare ask for more public funds, he said. It’s been since 2003 that the county has increased its aid to the museum complex. Rather, he’s hoping the generosity of the public will come forth with the $10,000 that can qualify the county for the more generous grant.
Two easy ways to give are through becoming a member of the historical society either with a $10 annual membership or a $100 lifetime membership.
Checks may be mailed to Allen County Historical Society and Museum, 20 S. Washington, Iola, KS 66749.
The membership comes “free of any demands,” of service, Kleuver said, and includes a quarterly newsletter of local history and museum happenings.
Kleuver has served as director of the historical society since January 2010. He received a degree in history from Grinnell College in Iowa and a master’s in curriculum and instruction while he also served as a graduate assistant football coach at Carroll University in Waukesha, Wisc.
“My favorite part of history is in presenting it,” he said.
In his short term Kleuver has involved youths across the county in several activities including a months-long scavenger hunt that had them track down historical facts about the county.
During the summer, Kleuver offers free tours of the jail or the museum on Thursday evenings when the farmers market and municipal band concerts also occur on the square.
Tours of the jail also are at 1:30 p.m. weekdays during the summer months, “Or whenever it fits your schedule,” he said.
For more information about the jail or the historical society call Kleuver at 620-365-3051.
