Historic jail building in Maine falling into disrepair

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ELLSWORTH, Maine (AP) A historic jail building in Maine is falling apart and the historical society that owns it hasn’t been able to come up with the money to save it.

The Ellsworth Historical Society has owned the old Hancock County Jail in Ellsworth since 1998. The society’s president, Bill Fogle, said repairing the building could cost more than $700,000, but the society doesn’t have the money.

The society has also tried to work with Hancock County to find a way to save the jail, but hasn’t succeeded, the Bangor Daily News reported. The society even proposed returning the oil jail to the county last year, but county commissioners haven’t endorsed that idea.

The jail was built in 1886. The county built a new jail in the 1970s. The old jail has been on the National Register of Historic Places for more than a decade.

It’s one of few remaining jails that were built to also serve as a residence for the country sheriff.

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