Old York Gaol
Old York Gaol, built in 1719, is located in York, Maine, approximately sixty miles north of Boston. It is recognized as one of the oldest surviving government buildings in the United States and serves as a historical reminder of the colonial American criminal justice system. Originally constructed to replace an earlier, dilapidated prison, the gaol features thick stone walls and was designed for security and longevity. Over the years, it underwent several expansions to accommodate the growing needs of its penal system.
The gaol operated for over fifty years, housing both felons and debtors in cramped, inadequately ventilated conditions, with few amenities. After ceasing to function as a prison by 1860, the building was repurposed for various uses, including tours and even as a residence. It was restored and opened as a museum in 1900, thanks to efforts by the Old York Historical Society and Elizabeth Perkins, who aimed to preserve the area's history. Today, visitors can explore the gaol, interact with costumed guides, and learn about the historical context of penal practices in early America, all while enjoying the surrounding historical sites in York Village.
Old York Gaol
DATE Built in 1719
SIGNIFICANCE: The gaol (jail) is one of the oldest buildings, and probably the oldest British government building, still standing in the United States. It offers a vivid exhibition of the vast difference between the criminal justice systems of colonial America and modern times.
LOCALE: Sixty miles north of Boston in York, on the Maine coast.
The story of the Old York Gaol begins with the Pilgrims, who arrived in what is now New England in 1620 and settled along the Atlantic coast. In 1624 they established the town of Agamenticus, which grew quickly. It became the second formal chartered city in Maine in 1642 and was renamed Gorgeana for Sir Ferdinando Gorges, the governor-general of New England. In 1652 it was reorganized once again, this time as a town of the British Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The town was renamed for the last time, becoming “York” after the county in England.
York was chosen as the location for the King’s Prison for the District of Maine in 1653. Until that time, court cases were decided swiftly and punishments, which might include fines, servitude, or the stocks, were administered immediately. From then on, certain lawbreakers and debtors would be sentenced to spend time in prison. A small prison was built in the 1660s, with one dungeon and no heat.
The Present Building
The present building was built in 1719, when the original jail had fallen into disrepair. With stone walls nearly three feet thick, it was built to be secure and to last. Additions over the next half century included a chimney and fireplace, a cellar, a wooden addition with a kitchen and large room, and a second story. Through much of the eighteenth century the stone structure was referred to as the Gaol, and the wooden addition as the Gaol House.
The jail had one underground dungeon and two jail cells; it held both felons and debtors. The dungeon had no toilet, and none of the rooms had adequate ventilation. There was a “yard,” or outside secured area, and prisoners who could afford to post a bond were allowed to go outside during part of the day. Most prisoners, however, could not afford to pay. At the end of the eighteenth century, a new law required that felons and debtors must be housed separately, but there was not enough room at York for this arrangement. In 1806 more expansions and improvements were made, bringing the building to its present form. The newly remodeled building held prisoners for more than fifty years.
The Old Gaol Retired and Restored
By 1860 the stone part of the jail was no longer used to hold prisoners, and the wooden addition was also gradually phased out. A resourceful deputy jailer offered paying customers tours of the old dungeons as early as the 1860s, and in the 1880s a local merchant rented the building to use as a warehouse. In the 1890s the Todd family rented the jail and lived in it, and the building also served as a schoolhouse for a time.
Finally, in 1898, the editor and author William Dean Howells, a summer resident of York, suggested that the building be restored. The Old York Historical Society raised money to repair the building, and the Old Gaol was opened as a museum on the Fourth of July, 1900. The Old Gaol has been administered by the Historical Society ever since, with funds for maintenance provided by an endowment established by Elizabeth Perkins, who set about in the early 1900s to preserve as much of historic York as she could. She recognized the value of the Old York Gaol, thought to be the oldest surviving government building in the United States.
Visiting the Old York Gaol
The Old York Gaol is part of a complex in York Village administered by the Old York Historical Society. Visitors to the Gaol are encouraged to meet the “jailer’s wife,” a costumed guide, and to visit the old dungeons and cells. The pillory in front of the jail is a popular prop for photographs.
Other sites near the Old York Gaol include the Old School House, built in 1745; the John Hancock Warehouse, dating from the eighteenth century; and the mid-nineteenth century George Marshall Store. York features several old homes, some privately owned but two open to visitors. The Emerson-Wilcox House, built in 1742, showcases Maine decorative arts. The Elizabeth Perkins House was built in 1732 and contains Perkins’s personal collection of Colonial Revival furnishings.
Jefferd’s Tavern, built in 1750, is the visitor center and exhibition hall for the Historical Society complex. The sites are open to visitors six days a week (closed Mondays) from the end of May through the end of August. During the fall, they are open Thursday through Saturday until near the end of October.
Bibliography
Baker, Madge. Woven Together in York County, Maine: A History 1865-1990. Shapleigh, Maine: Wilson’s Printers, 1999.
Beard, Frank A. Maine’s Historic Places: Properties on the National Register of Historic Places.Camden, Maine: Down East Books, 1982.
Ernst, George. New England Miniature: A History of York, Maine. Freeport, Maine: Bond Wheelwright, 1961. Reprint. Salem, Mass.: Higginson Book Company, 1993.
Hunt, Kenneth. “Maine’s Old-Time York.”Colonial Homes 22, no. 3 (June 1996): 54-58.
Muse, Vance. The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: Northern New England. New York: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1989.
Rich, Louise Dickinson. The Coast of Maine: An Informal History. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1956.
Sullivan, James. The History of the District of Maine. 1795. Reprint. Bowie, Md.: Heritage Books, 1994.
"Where Maine's Story Begins." Old York Historical Society, 2024, oldyork.org/. Accessed 28 May 2024.