Old York Gaol

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Old York Gaol
(U.S. National Historic Landmark)
Location: York, Maine
Built/Founded: 1719
Architectural style(s): American Colonial
Designated as NHL: 1968
Added to NRHP: 1968
NRHP Reference#: 68000016

Old York Gaol is a National Historic Landmark at 4 Lindsay Road in York, Maine.

The gaol was a colonial prison building for York County, Maine and served as a jail from 1719 to 1879. It was built in four phases, including construction of its original stone cell portion in 1719. The original portion of the jail was constructed using timbers from the earlier York jail built in 1656. The present structure's shape was finalized when the building was enlarged in the 1790s in response to a demand for better conditions in debtor's prisons after an increase in debtors following the American Revolution. After 1879 the Gaol was used as a school, warehouse, and boarding house until 1900 when it opened as a colonial museum of relics. The Old Gaol continues to be a museum and reflects the jail and jailer's quarters as they were in 1789.[1]

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