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Cuba City Jail, Missouri

Historic building
In Cuba, Missouri
0.1 mi from Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The Cuba City Jail is a small one-story lockup in Cuba, MO, close to the old road. Built in 1908 of concrete block, it held prisoners until 1954 and now serves as a museum. Inside you can still see the guard's desk and wood stove and the cell room with its hanging iron bunks. For Route 66 travellers in Cuba, it is a quick, unusual look at small-town law.

What is Cuba City Jail?

The building is a plain rectangle of concrete block. It has two rooms: a front room for the guard, equipped with a desk and a wood stove, and a cell room at the back fitted with a pair of iron bunks that hang from the wall. It is small enough to take in at a glance, which is part of its charm.

History of Cuba City Jail

Cuba put up the jail in 1908, and it stayed in service for close to half a century, closing in 1954. Today it is a museum, and in 2014 it joined the National Register.

Visiting Cuba City Jail: tips

Allow about fifteen minutes. The jail has wheelchair access. It sits in the middle of a cluster of historic buildings, with the John Manson Munro House and the Uptown Cuba Historic District each about 0.1 miles away and Cuba Lodge No. 312 A.F. and A.M. about 0.2 miles off. Fuel and food are close by, and the Wagon Wheel motel is about half a mile away.