Cambria County Jail
Cambria County Jail is a historic jail located in downtown Ebensburg, Cambria County, Pennsylvania.
Cambria County Jail | |
 Cambria County Jail, September 2014 | |
  Location in Pennsylvania  Location in United States | |
| Location | N. Center and Sample Sts., Ebensburg, Pennsylvania |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 40°29′11″N 78°43′34″W |
| Area | 1.6 acres (0.65 ha) |
| Built | 1872 |
| Built by | William Callan |
| Architect | Edward Haviland |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 80003450[1] |
| Added to NRHP | June 30, 1980 |
History
In April 1870 the Cambria Freeman newspaper wrote, "[T]he commissioners of Cambria County purchased from Mrs. E.J. McDonald a square of land bounded by Centre [sic], Crawford, and Sample streets on which to erect the proposed new county prison. The price was $2,500."[2]
Critics in Johnstown referred to it as a "Welsh castle" in ridicule, which was also a knock on Ebensburg's Welsh roots.[3]
The prison was overcrowded for many years. A total of 123 men were confined in only 27 cells. They then went on to build an additional 52 cells in 1911.[4]
In the spring of 1997 the "Old Stone Jail" was abandoned for a new facility and temporarily was turned into a records center in a $400,000 project.[5] Jail tours are offered to visitors through the Cambria County Historical Society.
Escape of Michael "Smitty" Smith
Convicted in 1884 of killing a man from Johnstown, Smitty was set to be hung the next day. But after leaving a farewell letter to the warden, he managed to escape without a trace. The officers found that it was impossible to escape, because the walls were made of concrete and iron and they were about 22 feet high. The warden saw no trace of Smitty.
[6] Smitty would have been the fourth execution at the jail.[7] He was never found. Reenactments of how Smitty may have escaped have been performed and his cell was the site of an exhibition hosted by the Cambria County Historical Society which included a recreated noose by his height and weight.[8]
Hauntings
There are many other reported hauntings that the Cambria County Jail Holds. The prison built gallows where they would execute men. 11 men were hung and or executed within the walls of the Cambria County Jail. Citizens could buy a ticket to watch people get hung on certain days for entertainment because they had no electricity that was available to them. Now when people tour the jail it is known for them to hear screams and feel cold breezes coming from the gallows.[6]
Jail Renovations
The Cambria County Jail is going to be completely changed into a Multi-Purpose building. This news came to light in June 2020. The Jail is now going to include offices, retail space, event space, and a breakfast/brunch Wi-Fi hotspot. The renovations will take many years, and it is set to be fully completed by October 2025.[9]
Jail Tours
Tours of the jail are currently being offered before the start of the renovations through Cambria County Historical Society. [10]
Architecture
It was built in 1872, and is a Gothic Revival style sandstone building measuring 56 feet wide, 100 feet deep, and 60 feet tall. An addition, (a new cell block) was built in 1910. The front façade features pointed drop arch windows and a pointed arch portal.The jail is surrounded by a 22 feet tall substantial stone wall.The building also has a tower.[11] The tower is located at the front entrance. The floors are wooden but have iron that lays below. The building also contains a lower and upper floor with cells on each floor.[4]
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.[1]
In the media
Television
The Cambria County Jail was featured as a haunted location on the season 3 episode of Paranormal Lockdown, titled "Old Cambria Jail", which aired on Destination America in 2018. Paranormal investigators Nick Groff and Katrina Weidman spent 72-hours locked down in the jail to investigate the legend Michael "Smitty" Smith, an inmate who mysteriously disappeared from a locked cell on the night of his execution in 1884.[12]
The Travel Channel's television show Destination Fear filmed at the location for the fifth episode of their second season in 2020.
Books
A book titled The Black Gate by David Regala Jr. covers a lot of information that was discussed in the episode of The Cambria County Jail. The book covers many hauntings, and even paranormal activity.[13]
References
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- "The Old Cambria County Jail - Behind the Stone Wall 1870-1970, Cambria County Historical Society". Cambria Freeman. April 28, 1870.
- "Cambria County Jail reopens as a museum". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 6, 2002.
- "Old Stone Jail History". old-stone-jail.com. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- "Unknown, Cambria County Historical Society". The Tribune-Democrat. November 26, 1998.
- Khan, Shahjehan (2021-03-09). "The Hauntings of Cambria County Jail". Medium. Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- Evans, Susan (August 6, 2004). "Gallows Tale". The Tribune Democrat.
- Conrad, Hugh (August 2, 2004). "Bicentennial group recreates escape". The Tribune Democrat.
- Pesto, Mark. "New plans revealed for old Cambria County Jail redevelopment". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2023-03-02.
- "Cambria County Historical Society". Retrieved 2023-03-06.
- "National Historic Landmarks & National Register of Historic Places in Pennsylvania" (Searchable database). CRGIS: Cultural Resources Geographic Information System. Note: This includes Mary Ann O'Donnell Parfitt (n.d.). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory Nomination Form: Cambria County Jail" (PDF). Retrieved 2011-12-06.
- "Old Cambria Jail | Paranormal Lockdown".
- Smolen, Katie. "In The Spotlight | Book details brothers' journey, history of old stone jail". The Tribune-Democrat. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
External links
Media related to Cambria County Jail (Ebensburg, Pennsylvania) at Wikimedia Commons
