Visit the Old Bayfield City Jail at 207 Washington Ave Bayfield, WI
Built in 1926 by local stonemason Pete Wick, Bayfield’s historic “village jail” is a 625 square foot building, constructed of field stones, contains four jail cells with bunks, an officer’s desk, a coal-burning potbelly stove, and a small privy. This Old City Jail was active from 1926 – 1942. Captured drunks and disorderly scalawags, vagrants, assaulters and whiskey runners were often the guests of distinction in these four cells. When the City baseball team necessitated a sober Sunday line-up or ace fire-baller in prime pitching condition against the hot-shot traveling teams from Northwest Wisconsin, Officer Herman Sense Sr. secured their evening of privacy. Here the good officer provided all miscreants a hanging cot, a straw mattress and flushing privy for their overnight holiday. More serious criminals were escorted to the Bayfield County jail in Washburn.
The Bayfield Heritage Association leased the jail from the City of Bayfield in 2017 and raised funds to restore and preserve this historic landmark for generations to come. You can walk one block north from the museum’s front entrance, and cross Washington Avenue, to see the restored jail on the east side of the Iron Bridge parking lot.
Watch the video for some interesting stories from Bumpy Sense, the former Police Chief’s son. He talks about the jail and tells some tales from when his father was the law in Bayfield!
Also, check out the slideshow below. Hover/tap on the slides and a full-screen option will appear.
