The 150-year-old Lecompton jail is being moved one stone at a time so it can be closer to the Constitution Hall Historic Site downtown.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a local building company began disassembling the jail Sept. 10 in preparation for its move down the hill from its current site to property purchased by the Lecompton Historical Society.

Society president Paul Bahnmaier says the move will make the jail more accessible to the public.

A spokesman for the company moving the jail says the restored facility will last several hundred years.

A Heritage Conservation Council grant is paying $55,000 of the $69,000 cost to move the building, a memorial fund is providing $8,000 and the rest is being covered by members of the historical society.