Unknown photographer
Yesterday I went to jail.
The old Marshall Jail (the white building above right) to be exact. A group of folks have bought the building (there's a new, much nicer jail, elsewhere) and are hoping to turn it into space for a bed and breakfast or Airbnb type thing along with possible commercial and/or studio space. Being fully aware of the historic resonance of the place, they're also working on a project to collect stories about the jail and especially about the late, legendary E.Y. Ponder -- the High Sheriff of Madison County who didn't wear a gun or a uniform.
Josh Copus, one of the owners, is a friend of Claui's and he knew that John and I had some E.Y. stories. He had already interviewed a few Madison County natives and thought it might be interesting to hear the perspective of some of us 'new people.' (Still new after forty-some years.)
Now I only met E.Y. once, in the course of jury duty. It was John who had the really good story but he said he trusted me to tell it well. So yesterday I did some oral history, mainly what my neighbors back then had thought of E.Y and John's story, that encapsulates E.Y.'s clever and usually compassionate community-based policing.
Josh was also interested in the dynamics of the new people in the county back in the Seventies (there's a whole second influx of new people now,) and I tried to give a sense of what it was like.
It was a damp chilly day but they had space heaters and videographing equipment set up in what had been an office.
So I talked and talked for quite a while, trying not to incriminate anyone. Eventually, once it's edited, the interview will be up on The Old Marshall Jail website. I'll be sure to tell you about it when it happens.
Before the interview, I got a tour. They are removing most of the bars and heavy doors, with a view to repurposing them some way. I think some of those bars might make nice headboards.
Many of the cells had a fine view of the river. This lovely antique brick (the building was erected in 1905) is being unearthed from the layers of plaster and paint that have covered it.
Imagine having your own jail to play with! Josh is demonstrating the lever that opens the bars to the cell beyond him.
I had to check it out . . .
A message on the wall!
Har(d)wood's Bed and Breakfast "When your here, your family"
I love the jailhouse humor. Buddy Harwood -- no D -- is our current sheriff. ( I wonder if the inmate had been incarcerated by the grammar police.) It's inspiring to see this project unfolding. To hear some of the first stories and to get a sense of the scope of this project, visit their website HERE.
