Decommissioning ceremonies were to include removing the county symbol and American flag from the old location and transferring them to the new facility in Lewis. Transfer of inmates was to take place later in the month but, for security reasons, the exact times and dates were not to be announced in advance. Since shutdown of the old jail in 2003, inmates have been housed in a modular facility near it. "The Ledgers of NY's Essex County Jail" segment of the virtual tour consists of five web pages reviewing the contents of three jail ledgers made available to NYCHS for research purposes by Major Richard Cutting, Essex County Jail Administrator since 1977. The five web pages feature a total of more than 140 images -- from the ledgers themselves and from other sources. The five web pages are listed and linked here:
They show views of the courthouse, the old jail (both exterior and interior) and the former residence for sheriffs and their families. The 16 "Looking Back at Essex County's Old Jail in Elizabethtown,New York" image pages are listed and linked with thumbnails below. Clicking one of the thumbnail images below accesses the web page displaying its respective 7.5+ inch wide image version. Using "Next View" and "Previous View" navigational links the viewer can move back and forth among the 16 views. Another navigational link on each of the 16 "Looking Back" image pages returns the viewer to this page with the 16 thumbnails below.. NYCHS appreciates the help of Sheriff Henry Hommes' office, especially Major Cutting, in this presentation's preparation. In addition to making available the jail and court images as well as the ledgers, Major Cutting provided valuable insight, information and guidance aiding our review of the materials and our on-line researches. NYCHS appreciates NYS Correction Officer Joe Stickney's help in telling the story of his grand uncle Earl Torrence and Essex County Historical Society director Margaret Gibbs' help in tracking down the so-called "Chinese jail." The Northern New York Historical Newspapers on-line archives, provided by the Northern New York Library Network,.proved to be a most valuable resource. NYCHS webmaster |
Essex County Jail History Web Presentation |
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