The Norfolk County Jail was a wooden
jail
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
located on Highland Street in
Dedham, Massachusetts
Dedham ( ) is a town in and the county seat of Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 25,364 at the 2020 census. It is located on Boston's southwest border. On the northwest it is bordered by Needham, on the southwest b ...
. Following
the creation of
Norfolk County in 1792, Timothy Gay deeded land to the county for the creation of the jail in October 1794. Construction began that year but it was not complete until 1795. The donated land, next to Gay's tavern on Highland Street, was on the corner of Court Street next to the present day
St. Paul's Church.
It received its first prisoner in February 1795. It housed
Jason Fairbanks after his murder conviction, but he escaped.
Timothy Gay, Jr. was the jail keeper and was indicted, but acquitted.
It was replaced by a new
Norfolk County Jail in 1817.
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Notes
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1795 establishments in Massachusetts
1817 disestablishments in Massachusetts
Buildings and structures in Dedham, Massachusetts
History of Dedham, Massachusetts
Defunct prisons in Massachusetts
{{Dedham