Huron Historic Gaol
Encyclopedia
The Huron Historic Gaol was established as the Huron County Gaol (Jail) for Upper Canada's
Huron District. Clearing of the land began in Goderich, Ontario
in 1839 and the jail was constructed between 1839 and 1842 using stone from the Maitland River
Valley and from Michigan. The octagonal jail was designed by Thomas Young, modelled after Jeremy Bentham’s
Panopticon
design for prison construction, common in mid-19th century Britain and North America.
A temporary courtroom and Council Chambers were set up on the jail’s third floor. It was in this makeshift Council Chamber that the first Huron District Council meeting was held on February 8, 1842. The third floor was also used for church services and other public gatherings before proper buildings were available. The building served the dual purpose of jail and courthouse
until the construction of the county courthouse was completed in 1856, in the centre of Goderich’s Market Square.
The site ceased functioning as a jail serving Huron County
in 1972 and inmates were then transferred to Walkerton
and Stratford
jails. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1973.
that occurred in Canada, when on December 7, 1869, Nicholas Melady
was hanged for the murder of his father and stepmother
. Edward Jardine was hanged privately on June 16, 1911.
Steven Truscott
awaited execution in the Huron County Gaol from September 30, 1959, when he was convicted of murder, until his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on January 22, 1960.
, CHIN
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
Huron District. Clearing of the land began in Goderich, Ontario
Goderich, Ontario
Goderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time. The town...
in 1839 and the jail was constructed between 1839 and 1842 using stone from the Maitland River
Maitland River
The Maitland River is a river in southwestern Ontario, Canada, which empties into Lake Huron in the town of Goderich, Ontario. The river is 150 km in length....
Valley and from Michigan. The octagonal jail was designed by Thomas Young, modelled after Jeremy Bentham’s
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
Panopticon
Panopticon
The Panopticon is a type of building designed by English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Bentham in the late eighteenth century. The concept of the design is to allow an observer to observe all inmates of an institution without them being able to tell whether or not they are being watched...
design for prison construction, common in mid-19th century Britain and North America.
A temporary courtroom and Council Chambers were set up on the jail’s third floor. It was in this makeshift Council Chamber that the first Huron District Council meeting was held on February 8, 1842. The third floor was also used for church services and other public gatherings before proper buildings were available. The building served the dual purpose of jail and courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
until the construction of the county courthouse was completed in 1856, in the centre of Goderich’s Market Square.
The site ceased functioning as a jail serving Huron County
Huron County, Ontario
Huron County is a census division and county of the province of Ontario, Canada. It is located on the southeast shore of its namesake, Lake Huron, in the southwest part of the province...
in 1972 and inmates were then transferred to Walkerton
Walkerton, Ontario
Walkerton is a community in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within and governed by the municipality of Brockton. It is the site of Brockton's municipal offices and the county seat of Bruce County...
and Stratford
Stratford, Ontario
Stratford is a city on the Avon River in Perth County in southwestern Ontario, Canada with a population of 32,000.When the area was first settled by Europeans in 1832, the townsite and the river were named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. It is the seat of Perth County. Stratford was...
jails. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1973.
Hangings
Three inmates were hanged at the jail, with two of the hangings conducted publicly. On December 18, 1861 William Mahone was hanged outside the jail walls. An exterior wall of the jail was the location of the last public executionCapital punishment
Capital punishment, the death penalty, or execution is the sentence of death upon a person by the state as a punishment for an offence. Crimes that can result in a death penalty are known as capital crimes or capital offences. The term capital originates from the Latin capitalis, literally...
that occurred in Canada, when on December 7, 1869, Nicholas Melady
Nicholas Melady
Nicholas Melady Jr. was a convictedmurderer from Huron County, Ontario, Canada . Melady was the last person to be publicly executed in Canada when he was hanged on December 7, 1869, on the outside wall of a jail located in Goderich, Ontario , for the murder of his father, Nicholas Melady Senior...
was hanged for the murder of his father and stepmother
Stepfamily
A stepfamily, also known as a blended family or reconstituted family, is a family in which one or both members of the couple have children from a previous relationship...
. Edward Jardine was hanged privately on June 16, 1911.
Steven Truscott
Steven Truscott
Steven Murray Truscott is a Canadian man who was sentenced to death in 1959, when he was a 14-year old student, for the murder of classmate Lynne Harper...
awaited execution in the Huron County Gaol from September 30, 1959, when he was convicted of murder, until his sentence was commuted to life imprisonment on January 22, 1960.
Museum
The jail and adjoining early 20th century period governor's house opened to the public as a museum on Saturday June 29, 1974. The museum is open to the public as a division of the Huron County Museum from May 3 to October 24 and admission is charged. The jail has been refurbished to its approximate state in Victorian times. There is a gift shop selling souvenirs of the jail and Huron county.Affiliations
The Museum is affiliated with: CMACanadian Museums Association
The Canadian Museums Association is a national organization for the promotion of museums in Canada.The Canadian Museums Association is the national organization for the advancement of the Canadian museum sector, representing Canadian museum professionals both within Canada and internationally. The...
, CHIN
Canadian Heritage Information Network
The Canadian Heritage Information Network is a Canadian government-supported organization that provides a networked interface to Canada's heritage, largely through the World Wide Web. It aims to give access to Canada's heritage for both Canadians and a worldwide audience, by supporting the...
, and Virtual Museum of Canada
Virtual Museum of Canada
The Virtual Museum of Canada is Canada's national virtual museum. With a directory of over 3,000 Canadian heritage institutions and a database of over 600 virtual exhibits, the VMC brings together Canada's museums regardless of size or geographical location.The VMC includes virtual exhibits,...
.
Sources
- www.huroncounty.ca/museum
- Melady, JohnJohn MeladyJohn Melady is a Canadian non-fiction author from Seaforth, Ontario Canada . A former high school vice-principal, he writes primarily about 19th and 20th century Canadian history with a usual focus on acts exhibiting courage.-Education:...
(2005). Double Trap: The Last Public Hanging In Canada. Dundern Press. ISBN 1-55002-571-6. - Sher, JulianJulian SherJulian Sher is a Canadian investigative journalist and author based in Montreal. He was an investigative producer with the CBC's the fifth estate for 10 years...
(2002). "Until You Are Dead": Steven Truscott's Long Ride Into History. Vintage Canada. ISBN 0-67697-381-7.