Goderich in Huron County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Huron County Gaol

Photographed by Tim Boyd

1. Huron County Gaol Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Erected between 1839 and 1841, this remarkably preserved building follows Jeremy Bentham's Panopticon design for prison construction, often found in mid-19th-century Britain and America. It features an octagonal central block, intended to ensure constant supervision of prisoners' activities. Two radial wings and wedge-shaped exercise yards surrounded by thick masonry walls completed the original design by Thomas Young of Toronto. Construction of this prison with its third floor courtroom enabled Huron to qualify as a district separate from London, with Goderich as its seat.

Oeuvre de l'architecte Thomas Young de Toronto. Cette prison fut construite entre 1839 et 1841 selon le système panoptique de Jeremy Bentham, souvent adopté en Grande-Bretagne et en Amérique au milieu du XIX siècle. En plus du bloc octogonal du centre, permettant la surveillance constante des prisonniers, elle comprend deux ailes radiaires et des cours intérieures fermées de murs. Elle abrite aussi, au troisième étage, une salle d'audience, ce qui a valu à Huron de devenir un nouveau district judiciaire, détaché de London, dont Goderich

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fut le chef-lieu.

Erected 1975 by Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Law Enforcement. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Historic Sites and Monuments Board series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1839.

Location. 43° 44.989′ N, 81° 42.484′ W. Marker is in Goderich, Ontario, in Huron County. It is at the intersection of Victoria Street North and Gloucester Terrace, on the right when traveling south on Victoria Street North. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 196 Victoria St N, Goderich ON N7A 1W2, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At

Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 22, 2023

2. Huron County Gaol Marker

least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Canada Company Burial Ground (approx. 0.4 kilometers away); Hotel de Wereld (approx. half a kilometer away); Goderich Dominion Post Office and Customs Office (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Goderich Public Library Renovation and Expansion (approx. one kilometer away); Tornado 2011 (approx. 1.1 kilometers away); “Tiger” Dunlop 1792-1848 (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Days of the Canada Company (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Canada Company Headquarters (approx. 1.2 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Goderich.

Also see . . . Huron Historic Gaol National Historic Site.

Throughout its history the Gaol housed inmates registered for crimes from misdemeanors to criminal convictions, including three men who were hung for their crimes of murder. It also provided as the House of Refuge for the ill, destitute and mentally ill. Men, women and children all spent time in the Gaol through its history.

(Submitted on December 18, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Huron County Gaol and Governor’s Residence image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, September 22, 2023

3. Huron County Gaol and Governor’s Residence

Credits. This page was last revised on December 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 18, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 175 times since then and 33 times this year. Last updated on December 27, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 18, 2024, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.