The Hancock County jail, built in 1879, stood at the northwest corner of West Main Cross and Broadway.
It was the third prison owned by the county.
The first was built in 1830, just two years after the formation of the county itself. It was a wooden structure, constructed at a cost of $250, which stood on the grounds of the existing county courthouse on South Main Street. Sometime prior to 1837, this jail burned down. The prisoners themselves were blamed for the blaze.
A replacement was not constructed until 1852.
Its location on Broadway had previously been occupied by a cigar factory. Far more money was invested in building the second jail, just twenty years after the first. The building cost a total of $4,743.
The third Hancock County jail, at which Stanley was imprisoned, was torn down in December 1989 at 110 years old. Carved into the cornerstone of the building were the names of the county commissioners who were involved in the building of the prison in 1879: John Edgington, Ross W. Moore, and Louis Luneack.
We are related to two of the three.
Next Time: A Time for Reflection/The Shiny Snitch
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