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Maine's oldest jail looking for a new lease

The Old York Gaol (Jail) is looking for a new lease to continue to preserve Maine's first jail. The stone 'dungeon' cell will soon be celebrating it's 300th anniversary in 2020.

YORK, Maine (NEWS CENTER Maine) -- The Old York Gaol dates back to 1719, but has been open as a museum since July 4. 1900. Nowadays, only English and Australian jails are spelled 'gaol.' The town of York has leased the jail to the Old York Historic Society. There have been many leases, including a 99-year contract at one point, but the most recent one expired in 2010. There are new talks to continue to preserve Maine's first jail, but nothing has been finalized.

"This is where the hardened criminals were kept for the province of Maine," said Old York Historical Society Executive Director, Joel Lefever. "You were not innocent until proven guilty, you were accused and had to provide evidence that you were innocent."

The stone 'dungeon' cell will soon be celebrating it's 300th anniversary in 2020. Parts of the building, discovered in a renovation in the 1970s, would be the oldest building in New England if it were still standing. "It's a fantastic impression of what life was really like," said Lefever.

The Old York Jail predates the state of Maine by 100 years.

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