Behind Gray Walls

We're working hard to bring you a brand new season! March 21st (6-8pm) - Old Idaho Penitentiary 150th Anniversary Commemoration Tickets: https://history.idaho.gov/event/op150/ March 19th-26th - Cemetery Tour Tickets: https://history.idaho.gov/event/cemetery/ March 24th (6pm) - Treefort Live Performance: https://www.treefortmusicfest.com/schedule/

In the finale of this extended season, Anthony and Skye profile a couple of people with money problems—first, a man whose crimes send him to the very place he had worked #5693 Tony Phelan (Embezzlement); second, a young woman whose trial is one of the best covered of any of our lady forgers, #4345 Viola Lowe (Forgery).

In this season’s couple’s episode, Skye and Anthony piece together the complicated stories of the Wheelers/Wilcoxes who were allegedly running a “Certified Check Racket,” and whose post-ISP exploits are far more interesting than their time inside #3234 Mildred Wilcox (Forgery) and #3235 Frank L. Wilcox (Possession of Forged Checks).

In this episode, Skye and Anthony are back from their break and discuss a woman whose AWOL husband causes quite a few problems #9008 Doris Mae Ainesworth (Forgery) and a man whose fall from a building in the middle of the night proved his (pun intended) downfall #1793 William P. Surratt (Burglary in the 1st Degree).

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Anthony and Skye sit down with Old Pen staff member and resident boxer Samuel Anderson, who shares the history of boxing at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary and opens up about his own boxing career.

In this Halloween Special Stool Pigeon Saturday, Anthony brings back Old Pen Education Specialist Suzanne Squires to discuss the brutal life and death of #128 Samuel Hatton (Grand Larceny).

In this episode, to help us all get in the Halloween spirit, Anthony and Skye recount the spooky story of a man whose victim’s head ended up in court #487 Henry H. Capps (Manslaughter) and a young woman whose nickname “Tarzan” is a lot more fun than her gruesome crime #7282 Verna “Tarzan” Keller (Murder in the Second Degree). Trigger warning: explicit details of graphic murder. Listener discretion...

In today’s episode, Skye and Anthony detail the lives and (many) crimes of a woman whose previous experience with guns made her a little bit “gun-shy” #2326 Dollie Underwood (Robbery) and a four-timer who may have been innocent of his second crime (out of four!) #581/#830/#4923/#5334 David Kidd (Burglary in the 2nd Degree/Attempt to Kill By Administering Poison/Grand Larceny(x2).

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Anthony interviews recently retired Warden Jay Christensen who reflects on his career and discusses the transformations he has witnessed over the last three decades within the Idaho Department of Corrections.

In this episode, Old Pen technical records specialist Ian Pickens shares the story of Frank Lobear #5319 (Manslaughter) who attempted to defend his own honor and after his incarceration became a local legend of the Frank Church Wilderness.

In this LIVE! episode from the Storyfort Stage at the Treefort 2021 music festival, Anthony and Skye regale the audience (both live and digital) with the stories of two musical men who shared their skills while incarcerated at the prison, Lewis Ensley #5720 (Burglary in the 2nd degree) and Garth Reynolds #7428/#8091 (Grand Larceny and Burglary in the 1st Degree) and a prominent Boise woman who emb...

In this episode, Skye and Anthony tell the stories of a woman whose feminine wiles got her in trouble more than once #5952 Alta Hazeltine (Attempted Robbery) and the devastatingly dastardly duo who embark on committing life insurance fraud #9931 Charles Feely and #9932 Monty Moore (Bombing a Building & Assault with Intent to Commit Murder).

In our first LIVE! episode Skye was able to participate in, Anthony and Skye regale the audience (both live and digital) with the stories of a man whose life and crime has everything—including divorce and donuts #7241/#7690/#8376 Delmar Theodore Swatsenbarg (Forgery/Robbery) and a woman whose alleged blackout proved fatal #12081 Bonnie Jean Deaton (Voluntary Manslaughter).

In this episode, Skye and Anthony chat about a woman who was one of three Native American women who entered the Idaho State Penitentiary for Forgery on the same day #11235 Claire Johnson Lopez and a nineteenth-century Forrest Gump (allegedly!) #958 H. M. St. Cyr (Manslaughter).

In the first episode of the sixth season, Anthony and Skye discuss a man whose experience in Siberia with a spoon is only scratching the surface of his troubled life, #11226/#12337 Dennis Guy Clark (First Degree Burglary/Second Degree Kidnapping) and a woman whose six-week old baby gained her a lot of sympathy and a very short prison sentence #2404 Mamie Ross (Receiving Stolen Goods).

We're working hard to bring you a brand new season! Check out our new logo and pick up some merch at the Old Pen! We have t-shirts and stickers available! We recorded a live episode at the Old Pen on July 16. Our next live recording will be at Treefort on Saturday, September 25 at 4pm! Oral Histories: Josef Munch, 7/15/1987 (Idaho State Archives) Mark Maxwell, 10/2/1981 (Idaho State Archives)

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Anthony sits down with Bette Joe and Roch, the wife and son of the late Jerry Clapp. Jerry was a boy when his father, Lou Clapp, became Warden of the Idaho State Penitentiary in 1945, a position he would hold for 21 years. Jerry, ever the story teller, documented his experiences as The Warden's Son in a memoir that will be released on May 21st of this year. Oral Hist...

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Skye and Anthony discuss the eventful 1887 term of court in territorial Idaho with returning guest John Dinger, Ada County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney. The term included everything from citizenship and guardianship to murder.

In the last episode of the season, things get a little dark as Anthony and Skye review the stories of a young man whose desperate attempts for love led to multiple deaths #1511 Fred Seward (Murder in the 1st Degree) and a wife and mother whose interaction with the Idaho Department of Public Assistance ended in absolute tragedy #11732 Lula Ann Shreve (Manslaughter). Adult content/Trigger warning: d...

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Skye and Anthony interview acclaimed historian Steven Branting, who shares his research on Margaret Hardy and his process uncovering stories following the many threads that make up our history. Pick up a copy of Wicked Lewiston from our gift shop: https://store.history.idaho.gov/GiftShopItem.aspx? I=116

In this season’s couple’s episode, Skye and Anthony discuss a pair of immigrants (one Swedish, one Canadian) who may have set fire to their house in a town only recently traumatized by one of the worst fires in the nation’s history #2679 and #2680 Richard and Anna Woodfine (Arson).

In this episode, Skye and Anthony have some conversations about a woman who gets a bit caught up with a husband (and maybe a wife) #6483 Leora Eliason (Adultery) and a man whose sexuality landed him in jail #2911 E.E. Gillespie (Infamous Crime Against Nature). Adult content: explicit discussions of sexual acts.

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Skye and Anthony celebrate National Volunteer Appreciation Month and sit down with the longest serving volunteer at the Old Idaho Penitentiary, Don Mummert. Don has spent over 20 years giving tours and working as a host at the J. C. Earl Weapon's exhibit, but his connections to the prison go all the way back to the 1940s! Interested in volunteering? Sign up today! ht...

In this episode, Anthony takes a bit of a divergence from normal, covering Mark Maxwell and his prolific administrative career at the Idaho State Penitentiary and Skye sticks to the script, profiling a woman who didn’t quite know how to resist a man in uniform #11297 Janet Brezicky (Robbery).

In this Stool Pigeon Saturday, Anthony talks to retired Deputy United States Marshal and Investigator Randy Martinez who shares stories about his career and compares it to the subject of this week's episode, Charles Phelps.