Object of the Week: Highlighting the LCHA Collections

Passing the time in Wiscasset’s Old Jail

Back in the early 19th century, inmates at the Old Jail in Wiscasset had to bide their time in a cold cell until their case could be heard by the circuit court judge, who might not be back in town for weeks. In this case, the sailor used a bit of graphite to depict a detailed image of this three-masted ship on the whitewashed wall of his cell. Who knew that his art would last for over 200 years?

Graffiti on other cell walls in the jail include a detailed navigational drawing of the globe as it was perceived by an 18th century seaman and a crude image of a soldier who appears to be wearing a hat with a feather in it. There is also a fragment of a poem, inscribed with beautiful penmanship, that portrays the anguish of a homesick prisoner.

Christine Hopf-Lovette, LCHA Trustee and Museum and Old Jail Stewardship Committee Member