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In November 1862, Lincoln County Council voted to move the county seat from Niagara-on-the-Lake (formerly called Niagara) to St. Catharines. This led to a need to build a new county jail.
The new Lincoln County Jail was designed by Toronto architects Cumberland and Storm and built by local contractors. When it was completed in 1866, the result was a very large structure with room enough for 60 prisoners.
The St. Catharines Museum and Welland Canals Centre is helping us celebrate our 150th anniversary of being officially incorporated as a City with a weekly look back into our rich history from a diverse range of perspectives.
It was built on Niagara Street north of Welland Avenue (116-118 Niagara Street), considered a distance from the town centre at the time. When it was built, a local newspaper commented the following: "The Gaol itself is a really beautiful building. Indeed, on looking at it, a person cannot help regretting that so handsome a structure should be devoted to the use of criminals...it is more like the elegant residence of some wealthy Nobleman, than a cage for felons. The architect has happily combined beauty of style with perfect security and solidity of construction."
During the first year of operations in 1866 the facility held 135 males and 29 females, a total of 164 inmates passed through its doors. Twenty of the men and one woman were under the age of 16.
The Lincoln County Jail was closed in 1973 when the Region of Niagara Detention Centre was built in Thorold. The building was demolished in 1976. This photo of was taken in 1973 around the time the facility was closed to new inmates. (S1973.4.12.44)
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