Name: Holiday Movies at the Museum
Start: 2026-01-03T14:00:00-05:00
End: 2026-01-03T16:00:00-05:00
Location: Huron County Museum

Huron Historic Gaol: Resources for Teachers and Students

by Sinead Cox | Oct 9, 2024 | For Teachers and Students, Huron Historic Gaol, Uncategorized

The Huron Historic Gaol is a national historic site and Huron County’s first municipal building. Between 1841 and 1972, it not only served as a correctional facility, but as the site of Huron’s first County Council meeting, its first courthouse, and as an inadequate refuge for those facing hardships that included poor health, homelessness, and mental health struggles.

The history of the gaol intersects with subjects ranging from history and social studies to civics and law. There are onsite programs and resources for every learner, from elementary school to post-secondary students. Educators and students can access these locally available resources to prompt in-depth discussions or create essays on capital punishment, government structures, social safety nets, legal history, social justice, and much more.

Videos

Behind the Bars video series of prisoner stories

The Young Canuckstorian Project: Margaret & William Dickson, longtime caretakers of Huron Gaol

From Family, Friends and Love, to Betrayal: The Last Official Public Hanging in Canada

Virtual Tours

Explore the 360 virtual tour of the gaol from the classroom: Huron Historic Gaol – Google Maps

You can also try our Virtual Escape Room! Contact staff for a guided experience, or book one of our virtual field trips!

Ask an Expert

Contact museum [@] huroncounty.ca to book a guided group tour or onsite education program.

Knowledgeable staff are also available for in-person or virtual outreach to speak about multiple topics related to the gaol’s fascinating history! Get in touch with your questions, or you can choose from an existing list of presentations.

Aerial view of the Huron Historic Gaol, a central building surrounded by tall octogonal stone walls.

Huron Historic Gaol, located at 181 Victoria St. N, Goderich

Photograph of a jail cell, barred door ajar. Metal bead inside. Small rectangular window closed.

Contact staff to visit the gaol onsite or virtually!

Newspaper clipping: "Schedule of Convictions." Columns list prosecutor, defendant, crime, result and remarks.

Clipping from the Huron Signal, 1865-04-06. In the early decades of Huron County’s history, local newspapers regularly published the full Schedules of Convictions listing those accused of crimes as well as accounts of court proceedings.

Research Resources

Huron County’s digitized newspapers chronicle local news from across the county! Click to search more than a century of history via Huron County’s digitized newspapers: free, online and keyword searchable.

You may find many items in the online newspapers about prisoners, significant cases, lists of crimes via the Schedule of Convictions, or the history of the building via reports to Council & inquests. Review the search tips on our website to help with your search results.

Visit our online catalogue to find artifacts in the museum’s collection that relate to the Huron Gaol or the communities it served, as well as local law enforcement and court systems.

For in-person research, you can find indexes for certain court records and information on how to book an appointment with the Archivist on the Archives page of our website! Scroll to the bottom for finding aids. Virtual appointments are also now available.

Short Articles

Select posts from the Museum’s blog cover a range of topics related to this building’s fascinating History. You can find more under ‘Stories’ and the “Huron Historic Gaol” tag on our website.

New Huron Historic Gaol exhibit shares historical data about prisoners | Huron County Museum

“No Possible Escape”: A Short History of Fire at the Huron Gaol | Huron County Museum

An Unconquered Crime: Infanticide in Huron County | Huron County Museum

Double, Double Toil and Trouble: The Tale of Maggie Pollock and the Huron County Witch Trial | Huron County Museum

The Huron Historic Gaol is a One of a Kind Building | Huron County Museum

The Save the Jail Society: How the Huron Historic Gaol Dodged Demolition | Huron County Museum

The Huron Jail & the Second World War Part 2: A STRANGE MUTINY ON THE GREAT LAKES | Huron County Museum

The Huron Jail & the Second World War Part I: THE ‘DEFENCE OF CANADA’ IN HURON COUNTY | Huron County Museum

Children in the Huron Jail | Huron County Museum

I Know Where the Bodies are Buried: Deaths at the Huron Jail | Huron County Museum

The Last Public Hanging in Canada | Huron County Museum

Researching Canada’s ‘Last Public Hanging’ | Huron County Museum

Reading List

Huron Historic Gaol | Huron County Library | BiblioCommons

Check out our reading list in the Huron County Library catalogue for books about the jail and notable prisoners, including Steven Truscott and James Donnelly.

Online Readings/Third Party Links:

The Final Days of Nicholas Melady Jr. as Witnessed by William Dickson

Heaven & Hell on Earth: The Massacre of the Black Donnellys

Huron Historic Gaol: National Historic Site Designation

Screenshot of search results. Three Images of a jail uniform, including "County Jail" text on shoulder. Text identifies as "Jacket, grey - part of the Huron County Jail officer's uniform".

Search thousands of selected artifacts online!

Black & white newspaper clipping. Print block image of an illustrated portrait of a mustached man in a suit. Text below: Nicholas Mellady, Executed at Goderich on the 7th Dec., 1869,<br />
for the Murder of his Father. THE MELLADY TRAGEDY.".<br />
Execution of Nicholas Mellady;HIS DYING CONFESSION.<br />
His Relatives' last Interview,"

From The Huron Expositor, 1869-12-11, pg 6. Access more online from the classroom or from home!

Prisoner Profiles is available from the gift shops at the Huron County Museum or Huron Historic Gaol, or borrow it for FREE from your local library!

How to Write a Local History Essay Using Museum Resources

by Amy Zoethout | Oct 26, 2020 | Archives, Blog, For Teachers and Students, Investigating Huron County History, Uncategorized

This military badge is from the Canadian Medical Corps worn on a Nursing Sister uniform by Maud Stirling, a First World War Nursing Sister. This artefact is one of more than 3,000 artefacts currently available on the Huron County Museum’s online collection.

by student Museum Assistant Jacob Smith

As a final year history student, I have grown accustomed to spending several hours preparing and writing essays. This is an important skill that takes years of practice. If you are developing an essay that is based on local history, the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol has several resources that can aid you in your studies.

The first research tool is the Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol’s online collection, which can be found here. This is a database where the public can view over 5,000 artifacts and archival materials in the Museum’s collection. This tool provides background information on the artifacts, such as its provenance, dimensions, and past owners, and allows viewers to examine objects that are not currently on display. Examples of objects currently available in the collection include textiles, tools, personal items, furniture, photographs, documents, and much more.

Another excellent research tool is the Huron County Museum’s Digitized Newspapers. Here, researchers can glance at newspapers dating from the mid-1800s to the late-2010s. This database is free, easy to use, and accessible from the comfort of your own home! The digitized newspapers provide a vast wealth of information, ranging from local news and gossip, fashion, and global affairs.

The Huron County Museum & Historic Gaol also has an extensive archives collection. Here, researchers can locate coroner’s inquests, assessment rolls, court records, voter’s lists, and many more. By booking an appointment with the Archivist, researchers have access to a vast collection of resources, and a knowledgeable staff member to assist you.

World War I propaganda poster from the Huron County Museum’s digitized newspaper database

This World War I propaganda poster was found through the Huron County Museum’s digitized newspaper database (Source: The Exeter Advocate, 1918-8-22, Page 2).

A bonus resource! Ancestry.ca is a helpful tool that allows people to research, share information, and connect with others. Sources such as military death, and census records, images, and family trees. This source requires a paid subscription, but often has free trials that allows researchers to access its extensive content. Researchers can also access Ancestry Library Edition free from home until Dec. 31, 2020 with a Huron County Library card.

While writers may feel overwhelmed at the thought of composing a research essay, there are helpful resources close to home or even accessible without leaving home. With the Huron County Museum and Historic Gaol’s resources, writers have the exposure to a wealth of extensive resources, which are readily available from your personal computer. Keep these resources in mind when you are composing your research essay.