YORK, Maine — With the 300th anniversary of the Old Gaol about to arrive in 2020, Joel Lefever of Museums of Old York decided to take a fresh look at the research done so far the iconic building – the oldest prison building in the state of Maine and one of the oldest in New England.
What ensued was a six-month journey into the past, one that he believes adds richness to the story of this fabled building and fills in some gaps in the record to create a more complete picture of its history.
“A lot of research and excavation had been done here and there. But what I found hadn’t been done was to get all the records in one timeline. That led to questioning the dates of things and trying to substantiate what we believe we know,” he said.
He began by examining all of the extant court records with regard to the building — including many documents that had already been researched and that laid the foundation for what is currently known about the building. While the “stone prison” of the Old Gaol dates to a 1720 completion, “Gaol Hill” was the site of a prison dating back to 1656.
Historical records show the Maine Provincial Court ordered the building of that first jail, to house prisoners from and to be financed by Kittery, York, Wells, Cape Porpoise and Saco. On June 30, 1656, court records indicate a Robert Cooke was sentenced to 30 lashes for an illicit affair, specifically mentioning the jail in York. By July 4, a prison keeper had been hired.
Over the years, the campus was expanded to include jailer’s quarters, more prison space and storage rooms, with the final addition built in 1806, said Lefever. Over the years they were connected , second stories built and finally a roof overarching the entire series of structures. It was used as the “local lockup” until the 1860s, then went on to become a school space and finally a “tenement. It was not a pleasant place to live.”
Lefever said while doing his research, his biggest “ah ha moment” came when he encountered a 1699 Massachusetts legislative act that brought new insight into a part of the Gaol building long thought to be a courtroom. According to the document, every county was ordered to build a House of Corrections for “rogues, vagabonds, common beggars… and the poor” — people who had committed misdemeanors as opposed to the more heinous crimes committed those in the prison.
The county built the free-standing facility on Gaol Hill in 1707, according to records, and Lefever said evidence strongly suggests the current room located to the left as people walk in the front door of the Old Gaol was once a freestanding House of Corrections.
For instance, item found in the walls and ceilings just recently suggest refuse from this “workhouse” where these minor miscreants repaired shoes and made flax fiber and wove them into garments. Hundreds of leather trimmings were found, as well as torn shoe pieces. “It appears that people in town would just bring their shoes here to be repaired,” he said. Hanks of flax were also found.
On a table in the room, Lefever is gathering samples of these items and others to show visitors this summer – like shards of pottery and glassware also found at the site.
Another mystery was solved when Museums of Old York brought in William Flynt, the architectural conservator of Historic Deerfield in Massachusetts and an expert in dendrochronology — the study of growth rings in trees to determine the age of wood. A tantalizing date of 1656 was carved into a wall stud in the stone prison built in 1719-20 (which replaced the 1656 building). Recently, the date 1704 was found carved into a wall plank. Was it possible, wondered Lefever, that portions of the stone building dated back that far?
All of the wood sampled, however, came back with a dates of 1719 to 1730; so it is likely that the thrifty Yankees who built the stone prison reused timber from the earlier building he said.
As the 300th anniversary of the Old Gaol nears (2020 is also the 200th anniversary of the state of Maine), Lefever said he feels that his work, in collaboration with all the work that has been done over the years before, will paint a true picture of Gaol Hill. The town is likely to become involved in planning festivities as it actually owns the building on land owned by First Parish Church.
“I’ve really enjoyed this project,” said Lefever. “And hopefully as the 300th anniversary nears, people will have a new appreciation for Gaol Hill and how it all worked together for so many years.”
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