The Old Jail Museum in Wiscasset. Maria Skillings/Times Record

Wiscasset’s Old Jail Museum needs new volunteer tour guides for its 2022 summer season as it tries to ramp up after two years of COVID-19 closures.

Christine Hopf-Lovette opens a jail cell door. Maria Skillings/Times Record

The old jail was built in 1811 and is one of the oldest jails still standing in New England. It is one of three historical buildings managed by the Lincoln County Historical Association, a local nonprofit. The other two are the Chapman-Hall House in Damariscotta and the  Pownalborough Court House in Dresden.

Lincoln County Historical Association Executive Director Shannon Gilmore said prior to the pandemic, the Old Jail Museum saw about 500 visitors each year from June to September.

Gilmore said donations, grants and ticket sales are used to, “connect, preserve and interpret the history of the county.”

As one of just two part-time employees, Gilmore said the museum really relies on volunteers.

Lincoln County Historical Association Executive Director Shannon Gilmore (left) and Trustee Christine Hopf-Lovette stand in prison cell corridor. Maria Skillings/Times Record

The museum was closed for its 2020 season because of Covid and didn’t re-open until July 2021 because of construction and repairs. Last year, the museum had about 250 visitors, half of the normal attendance. Now that masks are no longer required and businesses are reopening, she said she hopes the museum will get back to its original traffic.

Trustee, volunteer and museum docent Christine Hopf-Lovette has been volunteering at the old jail since 2009. She said the museum currently has 12 volunteers but needs about five more to relieve the current group and balance out their tour schedule.

The tenure of the museum volunteers ranges from two to 30 years, Gilmore said.

Christine Hopf-Lovette explains exhibit of handcuffs used throughout the jail’s history. Maria Skillings/Times Record.

Hopf-Lovette wants to train new docents to make the tour more interactive by asking visitors questions to spark new conversations and focus tours on the visitors interests in the jail.

On the tour, visitors step into the home of the jailor and his wife, as well as the prison cells. Visitors will see where the jailor’s wife prepared all of the meals for the inmates and her family. Just off the kitchen is a door with a 12-pound padlock that requires a 9-inch key to enter a long corridor of cells. Most of the cells held two prisoners, with straw mattresses and a filth bucket for bathroom needs, said Hopf-Lovette.

Graffiti by a prisoner. Maria Skillings/Times Record

There are two floors of prison cells with barred windows and heavy iron doors. The cells are made of granite, timber and horsehair plaster. Inside most cells visitors will see graffiti drawn by prisoners. One picture is a detailed map of the world that the museum has now made a replica of and preserved, while another drawing is a detailed sketch of a sailboat.

“We got a lot of sailors who ended up in the jail because Wiscasset was a very active port at the time,” said Hopf-Lovette.

An iron door leading to the hall of jail cells. Maria Skillings/Times Record

Women were never placed in these cells, said Gilmore. The third floor housed female prisoners, debtors and the criminally insane. Debtors could work off their debt by breaking apart boulders in the dooryard. The stones were then used to construct roads throughout Wiscasset, she said.

Some of the criminals housed in the Wiscasset prison were arrested for starting brawls, stealing horses, deserting schooners, or aiding in the escape of prisoners. In the entryway of the museum, you will find several archives of jail records with the names of prisoners, their date of arrest, and crimes they committed.

The inside of a jail cell, with a bed made of straw. Maria Skillings/Times Record

The museum will reopen on June 4 for its “Community Day” with free admission for all Lincoln County residents. Gilmore said she is very excited to share this place with the community.

“I want people to visit, volunteer, and join our community, that’s why we have it,” she said.

Volunteer, purchase tickets or find additional at lincolncountyhistory.org/.