OPEN HOUSE TOURS OF COUNTY'S HISTORIC JAIL THIS FRIDAY FROM 4:00PM TO 8:00PM - COST $10 FOR ADULTS

In collaboration with the Newark Downtown Association’s (NDA) Final Friday event this Friday, July 27th, the Licking County Historic Jail located at 46 South 3rd Street will open its doors for the first time to the public since the late 1980’s when the new County Jail was opened. From 4:00 – 8:00 p.m., visitors can step back in time by touring the Historic Jail’s former Sheriff’s quarters and two floors of prisoner cells, as well as receiving their own souvenir (photo) mug shots. The Downtown Newark Association will also provide a history walking tour of downtown Newark this Friday evening. At the Historic old County Jail the doors opened to its first offenders in November of 1889 and the cells were occupied for the last time in 1987. The jail housed murderers, drunkards and even adulterers, and served as the county’s primary lockup for more than 100 years. On July 8, 1910, the jailhouse was the scene of a lynching that made national news. In 2010, the Licking County Commissioners allowed several paranormal groups to explore the building. There is unexplained activity and two paranormal investigators have recorded voices of the dead “living” in the jail. Tickets will be sold at the door and are $10 for adults, and free to children under the age of 12 years. All proceeds and donations benefit the “Save the Jail” fund, which provides for the preservation and restoration of the Historic County Jail. The ultimate goal of the restoration is to allow this facility to be open for tours year-round, similar to the former Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio.