SubLunar's Blog

[ropingk]

wow way cool how long has it been closed??? ar they planning to reopen it??

[SubLunar]

Been closed since 2009. There are no signs of them wanting to reopen it; nearly all the rides have been removed and the ones that are there are in disrepair. The wooden coaster is overgrown and there's no evidence anyone's been trying to keep it maintained.

I didn't get inside any of the buildings; The doors I tried were all locked. But I only had a limited amount of time so I didn't try every door and window like i normally would. However, they are being used as storage, so my guess is that if anything is alarmed there, it would be the buildings. Furthermore, I didn't see any cameras or anything of the sort anywhere in or around the rides or the rest of the park.

Security was on site the entire time at the security shack at the edge of the parking lot during my visit.

[Rosie Cheeks]

Nice!

[SubLunar]

The Mausoleum

[liesreality]

great pictures.

[SubLunar]

Thanks, I'm reasonably happy with them.

I was really surprised with how bad of shape that place is in. There are lots of famous people buried in there, lots of artwork, etc. But the basement is flooded with about a foot of water and there are discolored marble crypt markers everywhere. I didn't get to portray much of the water damage as my primary motivation was capturing the structure itself. But the damage is very extensive. The gutters are missing, the roof tiles are falling off and water is seeping in everywhere. It's bad..

And it was extremely difficult getting them. I was going as fast as possible and it was hot as hell in there, sweat was dripping onto the camera. Plus it was rather dark, so those shots would not have been possible without a tripod which I had to reposition and set up properly for each and every photo in as little time as possible. Very stressful. I am grateful to Rosie Cheeks for her assistance, without which it would have been much more difficult and infinitely more stressful.

[SubLunar]

Renz Women's Prison

[cdevon1200]

Renz Women's Prison

nice! I an hoping to get out that way in the fall.

[ropingk]

Renz Info
Renz Women's Penitentiary opened up in 1926, and operated as a prison farm, where inmates would raise chickens and grow produce. It was a medium-sized facility that held around 500-550 female offenders, and was built right in the flood plain of the Missouri River. In the “Great Flood of 1993”, when the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers both rose to devastating heights, 20 ft. above flood stage in some places-the prison was a causality in the disaster that caused $15 billion in damages throughout the Midwest.

As the river slowly rose, the Missouri Department of Corrections began moving critical equipment out of the prison, and then finally when the waters showed no sign of relenting, they conducted a peaceful and injury-free 2-day evacuation of the prisoners to other nearby facilities. Once the inmates were all safely relocated, staff went back to the prison with boats and moved as much furniture and equipment as possible to the 2nd and 3rd stories of the building, hoping that once the water level receded they could salvage what was left and restore the structure. The murky depths of the Missouri had other ideas, and didn't stop until it had crested at 38.6 feet, and then took it's sweet time to recede. By the time it was finished, it had flattened the 32 foot levy protecting the prison, rendered the building completely incapacitated, and left a new 15 ft. deep, 15-acre wide lake as a parting gift.

Stories of the buildings accessibility and safety are mixed. Some say they have entered easily, others say there are locks and guards. One substantiated rumor is that SWAT teams and possibly the military use the area to practice tactical maneuvers and Close Quarter Combat training, so breaking in is ill-advised, despite the temptation.

[slow_walker]

Awesome stuff.

[SubLunar]

Missouri State Penitentiary

This place was fucking awesome. Everyone must go here!

Take the photography tour, you still get lots of stories from the guide and no tourists to get in your shots. Just don't take better pics than I managed. Just kidding. But seriously. Don't.

[BagHead727]

I just made an inquiry for a session this weekend!

[ucitygal]

Missouri State Penitentiary

This place was fucking awesome. Everyone must go here!

Take the photography tour, you still get lots of stories from the guide and no tourists to get in your shots. Just don't take better pics than I managed. Just kidding. But seriously. Don't.

DUDE. That is awesome! I am SO going to go do that sometime. Those pictures were AMAZING.

[slow_walker]

I had no idea they did photography tours. I will totally check into that.

[redox]

Missouri State Penitentiary

YES badass! thanks! It's amazing the place has only been in disuse for 9 years. I would have guessed 20 or 30.