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The Old Jail is OPEN by
Appointment During Off Season
Appointment call 508-771-2725
2009 Season
May 1st through
November 15th
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
from 10AM-3PM
THE OLD JAIL
3353 Main St Barnstable, MA.
Phone: 508-362-8521
History of the "Old Gaol"
Structural, documentary and
archaeological evidence suggests that the Jail was constructed circa
1690-1700 by Barnstable County as ordered by the Plymouth and
Massachusetts Bay Colony Courts and under the leadership of Sheriff
Bassett. The Barnstable Jail was constructed on a piece land just
west of the town center. The jail was moved around and attached to
the rear of an early 18th century, two-story, five-bay house
sometime later in the early 18th century. There was evidence to
support this from a court directive written in 1757 ordering
the county of Barnstable to erect a new "gaol". The new "gaol" was
never erected and the old jail was improved and used to until at
least 1820 until the new stone jail was built in the center of town.
The Jail is on the Move
In 1968, Miss Holway of Old Jail Lane
wanted a new barn built on her property to replace an ancient barn
that had served it's purpose. Miss Holway was thinking of having the
old barn moved or destroyed. Fortunately, Miss Holway knew the work
by Barnstable Country Chief Deputy Sheriff Louis Cataldo. He had
created Tales of Cape Cod in 1949 and had begun recording oral
histories from older Cape Codders who were passing away at an
alarming rate carrying their memories of "old Cape Cod" to the
grave.
Miss Holway brought Mr. Cataldo to the
ancient barn to show him what she had found inside the building. He
was thrown back and amazed when Miss Holway showed him a solid plank
that framed the small cell of the Old Gaol, there were engravings
hidden away for nearly three centuries done by a prisoner who had
spent time in the crude, inhospitable lockup. There on the wooden
plank was the following
"W. Bartlett 13d October 1698 and
27d he was let out"
With this new evidence it was the
effort of Mr. Cataldo to save the building. Miss Holway needed a new
garage and needed the building moved. Mr. Cataldo hired historian
and archeologists James Deetz, assistant Director of Plimouth
Plantation for confirmation of the findings. A town meeting was held
and red tape was cleared for the move. On July 15, 1971 the official
announcement was made that the old jail needed to be moved. on March
1, 1972 building began its voyage of being moved. It was broken into
sections and moved over several months. It's trek took it along old
kings highway, up Cobb's Hill and placed on the grounds of the
Trayser Museum. On September 18th 1972 a meeting was held and with
move and the archeological dig complete everything was in
order and given the stamp of approval by town officials.
Vandals Strike
On March 4, 1972 somebody torched the
"Old Gaol". Barnstable's volunteer fire department arrived quickly
and was able to save most of the building and after the smoke
cleared there was fire damaged to the inside of the back of the
building.
The "Old Gaol" Today
Over the years the jail remained open
for people to come and visit and look around when the Trayser Museum
was open. In 2004 The Coastguard Heritage (CGHM) Museum moved into
the Trayser Museum building. It is then when the old jail started to
be closed due to lack of manpower to over see people who walked
through the "old jail". Derek Bartlett the Founder of Cape And
Islands Paranormal Research Society had a meeting with the members
of the (CGHM) and proposed that with his efforts as well as his team
that they would open the doors to the old jail. It was accepted by
the members and today you can visit the Oldest Wooden Jail In the
United States of America.
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