Maine Memory Network

New Jail, Houlton, 1889

Contributed by: Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum Date: circa 1889 Location: Houlton Media: Photographic print

Houlton Court House and County Jail, ca. 1900

Contributed by: Aroostook County Historical and Art Museum Date: circa 1900 Location: Houlton Media: Photographic print

Somerset County Jail drawings, Skowhegan, 1976

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1976 Location: Skowhegan Client: Somerset County Architect: Eaton W. Tarbell

Cumberland County Courthouse & Jail, Portland, 1970-1987

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1970–1987 Location: Portland Client: Cumberland County Architect: Wadsworth, Boston, Dimick, Mercer & Weatherill
This record contains 2 images.

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Murder & Salvation: The Case of Benjamin Trott

"… Gaol, Alfred, 1888 Built in 1719, Old York Gaol (Jail) served as Patience Boston’s final residence as she awaited her trial and sentence."

Notorious: Maine Crime in the Public Eye, 1690–1940 - Manhunt: The Case of Aida Hayward

"On September 14, 1925—the day before his trial was set to begin—Harry A. Kirby died by suicide using a razor blade inside his Augusta jail cell."

Freedom & Captivity Portal

The Freedom & Captivity digital collection in the Maine Memory Network, and the complete digital archive housed at Colby Special Collections, is a repository of personal testimonies, ephemera, memorabilia, artifacts, and visual materials that capture multiple dimensions of the experiences of incarceration for individuals, families, and communities, as well as for survivors of harm.

Island Falls Historical Society

View collections, facts, and contact information for this Contributing Partner.

Stripped Of More Than Clothing
by Dan Adams

Juvenile strip searches while incarcerated.

Incarceration is Strange
by anonymous

The writer reflects on a brief incarceration and how it changed the way they think about life.