Old Licking County Jail

This building is believed to have been the fourth jail in Newark. It was built in 1889 after the previous jail was condemned in 1887. The construction utilized Millersburg sandstone which has a natural pinkish hue. The Romanesque-style design of the building includes turrets, frogs and snakes in its decor, as well as elaborate white stone trim. Though the building looks like a medieval castle or monastery that the style imitated, it proved remarkably ineffectual at keeping prisoners from breaking out, and even a mob from breaking in to lynch young Carl Etherington in 1910. This jail was used for incarceration for nearly a century, until 1987. After it closed as a jail, the building was used for several other government offices. It is now operated by the Licking County Government Preservation Society and has been featured on Travel Channel’s popular show Ghost Adventures.

Image 1: Licking County Jail around 1911.

Image 2: The canal, standing before the Licking County Jail, appears moat-like to the Romanesque structure in this photo from 1895.