Wiscasset Jail and Museum | |
![]() | |
![]() Interactive map showing the location of Wiscasset Jail and Museum | |
Location | 133 Federal St. (ME 218), Wiscasset, Maine |
---|---|
Coordinates | 44°0′38″N69°39′44″W / 44.01056°N 69.66222°W |
Area | 5 acres (2.0 ha) |
Built | 1809 |
Part of | Wiscasset Historic District (ID73000242) |
NRHP reference No. | 70000054 [1] |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | January 26, 1970 |
Designated CP | January 12, 1973 |
The Wiscasset Jail and Museum is a historic jail on at 133 Federal Street (Maine State Route 218) in Wiscasset, Maine. Built in 1811, it is one Maine's oldest surviving jail buildings, serving as the state's first penitentiary between 1820 and 1824. It is now a museum operated by the Lincoln County Historical Society as the 1811 Lincoln County Museum and Old Jail. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. [1]
The former Wiscasset Jail is located north of Wiscasset's village center, on the east side of Federal Street, overlooking the Sheepscot River. The building has two distinct sections, one for the jail and the other for the keeper's residence. The portion housing the cells is built out of granite and is three stories in height. The interior consists of a central hall on each floor providing access to cells lining the long walls; the interior walls and floors are also granite. Eleven of the twelve cells have heavily barred window openings; the twelfth, which was used for solitary confinement, has no window. The third floor housed "apartments" used as debtor's cells and a work room. The keeper's quarters, attached to one of the gabled short walls, are a two-story brick structure, with a five bay facade and central entrance typical of Federal period architecture. [2]
Lincoln County was established in 1760, and had two different jails for the short-term retention of prisoners. The present building was authorized by the county in 1807, and construction lasted from 1809 to 1811. The original keeper's house was destroyed by fire, and the present brick house was built in 1837. It was until 1824 the only substantial place of incarceration in what was first the District of Maine of Massachusetts, and after 1820 the state of Maine. It remained in active use until 1953, and was sold to the Lincoln County Historical Society the following year. It has served as the society's headquarters and as a museum property since then. [2]
Fort Edgecomb, built in 1808–1809, is a two-story octagonal wooden blockhouse with restored fortifications located on Davis Island in the town of Edgecomb, Lincoln County, Maine, United States. It is the centerpiece of the Fort Edgecomb State Historic Site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969, with its boundaries increased to create a historic district in 1991.
The City and Town Hall in downtown Rochelle, Ogle County, Illinois, United States, operates as the township history museum, holding a number of static displays on local history. Historically it served as the headquarters for city and township government as well as holding the offices of numerous state, local and national entities. The building was erected in 1884 following an 18-year disagreement about the structure's cost between the city of Rochelle and Flagg Township.
The Nickels-Sortwell House is a historic house museum at 121 Main Street in Wiscasset, Maine, United States. Built in 1807 by a wealthy ship's captain, the house was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1970 as an exceptionally high-quality example of the Federal style of architecture. After serving as a hotel for much of the 19th century, the house returned to private hands in 1900. It was given to Historic New England in 1958, which gives tours of the house between May and October.
Bristol County Jail is a historic jail at 48 Court Street in Bristol, Rhode Island, and home to the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society.
The New County Jail is a structure within the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park. It was registered in the National Park Service's database of Official Structures on June 26, 1989.
Monhegan Island Light is a lighthouse on Monhegan Island, Maine. It was first established in 1824. The present structure was built in 1850. It was Alexander Parris's last significant design. It is the second highest light in Maine — Seguin Light, with a 6-foot taller tower, is 2 feet higher in elevation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Monhegan Island Lighthouse and Quarters on May 7, 1980, reference number 80000239.
The Sullivan County Courthouse is a historic courthouse building in downtown Laporte, Pennsylvania, United States. Built in 1894, this Romanesque Revival courthouse is a rectangular building measuring approximately 92 feet by 60 feet, built of brick with a slate roof. Since its construction, it has been the most prominent building in Sullivan County.
The Old Warren County Courthouse Complex is located at the corner of Amherst and Canada streets in Lake George, New York, United States. It is a large brick building erected in five stages from the 1840s to the 1890s. Not all of the stages built are extant.
The Glidden-Austin Block is a historic commercial building at 52 Main Street in Newcastle, Maine. Built in 1845, it is a prominent local example of mid-19th century commercial architecture, occupying a prominent location in the community's downtown area. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 28, 1975.
The United States Customhouse and Post Office, also known as the Old Customhouse, is a historic federal government building at Fore and Water Streets in Wiscasset, Maine. It was designed by Alfred B. Mullett and built in 1869–1870 by William Hogan of Bath, Maine. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970. It has been a private residence since purchased by Entrepreneur Jack Nelson and his wife Stacy in October 2013.
The Red Brick School is an historic school building on Warren Street in Wiscasset, Maine, United States. Built in 1807 as a subscription-funded secondary school, it served in that role until 1923. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places listings in October 1970. It now houses an art gallery.
The Calaveras County Courthouse is a historic courthouse built in 1867 in San Andreas, California. The brick courthouse contained the county's courtroom, jail, and sheriff's office; until 1888, executions were also conducted in the building. The building's jail held outlaw Black Bart, a notorious Northern California highwayman, during his 1883 trial. The county's Hall of Records was built in front of the courthouse in 1893; the two buildings nearly touch and are considered part of the same complex.
The former Hancock County Jail is located at 40 State Street in Ellsworth, the county seat of Hancock County, Maine, United States. Built in 1885–86, it has a well-appointed living space for the jailer in the front, and a series of cells in the back. It was operated as a jail until the early 1970s, and is now home to the Ellsworth Historical Society, which operates it as a museum. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008 for its architectural and historical significance.
The Portsmouth Company was a cotton mill established in 1832 in South Berwick, Maine, USA, one of several in the area. It was operated for many years under the control of the Portsmouth, New Hampshire-based Hale family.
The Mitchell House is a historic house at 333 Main Street in Yarmouth, Maine. Built about 1800, it is a fine local example of Federal period architecture. It is also prominent as the home of one of the North Yarmouth Academy's largest early benefactors, Dr. Ammi Ruhamah Mitchell. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
The Washington County Jail is located at 83 Court Street in Machias, the county seat of Washington County, Maine. The jail was built in 1858 to a design by Gridley James Fox Bryant, and is one of the county's architecturally significant Italianate buildings. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.
The Richardson House, also known as the Captain George McManus House, is a historic house at 11 Lincoln Street in Brunswick, Maine. Built in 1857, it is a fine local example of transitional Greek Revival-Italianate architecture in brick. McManus, for whom it was built, was a prominent local ship's captain. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. For a time, it housed the museum of the Pejepscot Historical Society.
The Dresden Brick School House is a historic school building on Maine State Route 128 in Dresden, Maine. Built in 1816, it is one of the oldest surviving brick district school buildings in the state. It is now a museum property, owned by the local historical society. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.
The Col. Isaac G. Reed House, also known historically as Cutting's Folly, was a historic house at 60 Glidden Street in Waldoboro, Maine. Built in 1807, it was a sophisticated local example of Federal period architecture, with an unusual period bow-shaped room. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005. It was destroyed by fire on April 2, 2017, and was subsequently removed from the register.
The Wiscasset Historic District is a 101-acre (41 ha) historic district that encompasses substantially all of the central village of Wiscasset, Maine. The district includes at least 22 contributing buildings and two other contributing sites, one being a cemetery whose oldest stone is from 1739. Located on the west bank of the Sheepscot River and settled in the 18th century, Wiscasset was a prominent harbor in Mid Coast Maine, and a major shipbuilding and merchant port, until the War of 1812 ended its prosperity. The village center includes fine examples of Federal period architecture, most built between about 1780 and 1820, including one National Historic Landmark, the Nickels-Sortwell House. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.