This abandoned historic jail was originally built in 1845 in a small, rural, northeastern United States town. The jail was partially built by the prisoners themselves who would work long hours of intense labor to quarry rock and use that same rock to build the jail as part of their punishment. Most of the prisoners held at the jail were incarcerated for less severe crimes; such as being drunk and disorderly, petty theft, and fighting. There were also several inmates over the years that were held for murder, including the a serial killer that killed 4 people in the same town. In 1911 alone there were nine people at the jail awaiting trial for murder including four men accused of causing a train wreck in which one person died. The jail had many celebratory events that took place over the years; such as marriages, graduations, and births; as well as the all too familiar negative stories of corruption and inmate abuse. The historic jail grounds also featured a dairy farm, which helped the jail become very self-sufficient by having the inmates work on the dairy farm to grow and eventually produce milk, vegetables, pork, beef, and chicken. The dairy farm provided food for the entire jail. Because of the dairy farm, the jail grounds were never fully enclosed and due to this, there were many successful escapes because of the lack of security, the rural location, and the small staff. The historic jail remained active for nearly 125 years, from 1845 until 1969, when inmates from the jails were moved to newer more modern facilities. In 1970, the jail was again used as a “simulated lockup” for prison guards who were treated like criminals, so they could experience the same treatment that the prisoners did. They were strip searched, fingerprinted, and put in prison attire before being incarcerated for an entire weekend. By the 1990’s, the historic jail was closed again, but this time it was for good. In 2007, the historic jail was purchased by the local town. The town established a small committee to set up to work on the stabilization, restoration, and potential re-use of the jail and property. As of 2022, the historic jail still sits abandoned, hoping for a new chance at life in the near future.