93 Churchill St
Wiscasset, ME 04578
(207) 882-4888
93 Churchill St
Wiscasset, ME 04578
(207) 882-4888
The Wiscasset Jail and Museum is a historic jail on at 133 Federal Street in Wiscasset, Maine. Built in 1811, it is one Maine's oldest surviving jail buildings, serving as the state's first penitentiary between 1820 and 1824. It is now a museum operate by the Lincoln County Historical Society as the 1811 Lincoln County Museum and Old Jail. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.Description and historyThe former Wiscasset Jail is located north of Wiscasset's village center, on the east side of Federal Street, overlooking the Sheepscot River. The building has two distinct sections, one for the jail and the other for the keeper's residence. The portion housing the cells is built out of granite and is three stories in height. The interior consists of a central hall on each floor providing access to cells lining the long walls; the interior walls and floors are also granite. Eleven of the twelve cells have heavily barred window openings; the twelfth, which was used for solitary confinement, has no window. The third floor housed "apartments" used as debtor's cells and a work room. The keeper's quarters, attached to one of the gabled short walls, are a two-story brick structure, with a five bay facade and central entrance typical of Federal period architecture.Lincoln County was established in 1760, and had two different jails for the short-term retention of prisoners. The present building was authorized by the county in 1807, and construnction lasted from 1809 to 1811. The original keeper's house was destroyed by fire, and the present brick house was built in 1837. It was until 1824 the only substantial place of incarceration in what was first the District of Maine of Massachusetts, and after 1820 the state of Maine. It remained in active use until 1953, and was sold to the Lincoln County Historical Society the following year. It has served as the society's headquarters and as a museum property since then.
The Maine Art Gallery was founded in 1954 by Wiscasset resident Mildred Burrage. In her search for a building with abundant natural light, she found the Old Academy Building which was in need of renovation – just her expertise! In 1964 she was awarded a seat on the National Trust of Historic Preservation, and in 1981 the State of Maine honored her with its Historic Preservation Commission Award. As an artist trained in America and France, Burrage was officially recognized many times for her work as a cultural benefactor. She was the first Maine woman to receive the National Achievement Award given by the National Association of University Women. As an incorporated nonprofit, the Maine Art Gallery continues to exhibit the best that Maine artists produce. Over the years we have exhibited the works of Gene Klebe, Peter Cook, John Follinsbee, Vincent Hartigan, Dahlov Ipcar, William Goadby Lawrence, Morris Levine, John Lorence, Olive Metcalf, Louise Nevelson, Waldo Pierce, Henry Varnum Poore, Frederick Rockwell, Jason Schoener, William and Stell Shevis, Laurence Sisson, Warren Spaulding, Ernest Thompson, William Thon, Andrew Winter, Andrew Wyeth and William Zorach.
Our goal is to have complex that contains multiple entertainment options at one location. Our vision of entertainment options include indoor batting cages, a game room containing air hockey, video games and other related gaming options, a billiard room, bowling lanes, rock climbing wall, lounge areas and a dance club geared towards the teenage crowd. We want to mesh this together with a modern youth oriented dining experience as well as an ice cream and snack shop. Our long term goal is to expand into year round, seasonal, outdoor entertainment options. For the summer months we envision the V&S Factory complex to contain a Go-Cart Road Track as well as a “not so mini” miniature golf course unlike anything currently in mid-coast or southern Maine. As for the winter months we are planning on developing snow tubing trails and an ice skating rink. We believe the addition of these amusement options would truly create a focal point in Wiscasset and draw in a considerable amount of traffic from areas outside the immediate mid-coast region. We are also planning future outdoor youth activities and a nature trail that will traverse the entire property.
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