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A City Behind Walls
A Public Campaign for the Old Idaho Penitentiary
Idaho’s history is still being written. At the Old Idaho Penitentiary, one of the nation’s few remaining territorial prisons open to the public, that history stands in stone, iron, labor, discipline, resilience, and daily life. A City Behind Walls will transform the visitor experience at the Old Pen, helping students, families, Idahoans, and visitors from around the world understand how law, work, accountability, and community shaped our state.
Your gift to the public campaign will help complete the Survey Gallery in the historic Shirt Factory, the centerpiece of the reimagined Old Idaho Penitentiary experience.
A Rare Historic Site. A Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity.
For more than a century, the Old Idaho Penitentiary stood as a working institution. Today, it stands as a physical record of Idaho territorial and state history. Its buildings tell the story of law and order in the American West, the systems that shaped daily life inside the walls, and the people whose experiences still ask us to look carefully, think deeply, and remember responsibly.
This project goes beyond restoration. It is a reimagining of how visitors encounter the Old Pen. Through new exhibits, improved interpretation, and immersive environments grounded in real historical conditions, A City Behind Walls will turn a treasured historic site into a more cohesive educational experience for the next generation.
As Idaho joins the nation in marking America250, this is the right moment to invest in a site that connects Idaho’s story to the broader American framework of law, governance, work, accountability, and civic life.
The Survey Gallery in the Shirt Factory
What Makes Your Gift Possible
The public campaign will fund the Survey Gallery in the historic Shirt Factory, where visitors will experience the heart of the reimagined Old Idaho Penitentiary.
The gallery will explore the penitentiary as a self-contained community, highlighting daily life, labor, discipline, rehabilitation, and the people who lived and worked there through artifacts, interactive exhibits, and immersive storytelling.
Education and Access
An Education-First Investment
The Old Idaho Penitentiary serves thousands of students each year. In 2025, more than 4,800 students from 99 schools visited through field trips, supported by more than 400 alignments to Idaho education standards.
The reimagined experience will deepen learning by connecting students to Idaho’s history, law, and evolving correctional system while expanding access for more rural and Title I schools to experience this important part of Idaho’s story.
Preservation and Stewardship
Preserving an Idaho Treasure
The Old Idaho Penitentiary is more than a historic site—it preserves over a century of Idaho’s history through its original buildings and stories of confinement, work, and resilience.
Protecting the site safeguards an important cultural landmark, supports heritage tourism, and keeps Idaho’s history accessible for future generations.
The State of Idaho has committed $3.8 million toward the $6 million project. The Foundation for Idaho History is now inviting the public to help raise the final $200,000 to complete the Survey Gallery.
Campaign Snapshot
- Public phase goal: $200,000
- Total project: $6 million
- State of Idaho commitment: $3.8 million
- Private campaign: $2.2 million
- Public campaign launch: September 17, 2026
- Target close: April 17, 2027
This public phase is built for broad participation. Gifts of every size matter because this is not only a campaign for major donors. It is an invitation for Idahoans, families, educators, members, visitors, businesses, and friends of the Old Pen to take part in preserving and sharing a statewide asset.
Join the Effort
Every generation receives history in trust. The question is whether we simply pass it along or make it more meaningful, more accessible, and more useful for those who come next.
A City Behind Walls gives Idahoans the opportunity to preserve a rare historic site and expand the way its stories are told. By giving to the Survey Gallery, you are helping create a powerful educational experience that will serve students, families, residents, and visitors for generations.
Make a gift today and help complete the next chapter of the Old Idaho Penitentiary.