OLD MONTEREY
GAOL
G'day folks,
Now, here's a nice looking building with an interesting record. This remarkably simple
jail went over a century without an escape.
In its 100 years of use, no one ever escaped from the Old
Monterey Jail, probably owing to the copious amounts of granite and iron used
in its construction.
After California achieved statehood, the town of Monterey
was the county seat and as part of its growing pains the town began to see the
need for a substantial jail. Accordingly, in 1854 a stout stone building was
constructed next door to Colton Hall, which had become the county courthouse.
The new jail was built of solid granite, and using the firmest iron work they
could produce at the time. So concerned with sturdiness, the builders used
almost no wood in the jail’s construction. The cells each had a window, but
they were covered with perforated iron plates that provided the bare minimum of
light and air to nourish the inmates.
The jail was modernized in 1935 with the addition of a
heating and ventilation system and concrete floors. It continued in regular use
until 1956, just over a century after its construction. The last entry in the
jail log was made on July 31, 1959, and the jail was officially closed. The
following year it was opened to the public as part of the Colton Hall museum,
the function it continues to serve today. Visitors can now see the conditions
the original prisoners endured via recreated scenes in each of the cells.
Clancy's comment: They may not have escaped, but did they come out alive? Then again, the food might have been delicious, hence the prisoners had no desire to escape.
I'm ...
