This 1880 Victorian home on a picturesque village green in Vermont, served an interesting dual purpose. It doubled as the town jail!
Life was simpler back then and often the Jailer and his family lived in the same dwelling as the criminals awaiting justice. This was the case in the quaint town of Guildhall, Vermont.
This 2,190 square foot house and adjoining jail is currently for sale for $149,000.
It has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms (not including the jail cells).
The jail part is the ell off the rear of the house, as you can see in the photo above.
Let’s have a look inside the home, shall we?
The kitchen has been updated and features a large arched window looking out to the back of the property.
It has a gorgeous electric stove that is a replica of an antique cook stove:
There are some fabulous original features in this house including wood floors and bead board ceilings.
The house is rather like a time capsule, with original wainscoting along the walls and cornices on the ceilings, original doors, and old wallpaper.
You can almost picture the town Jailer and his family eating here in this quaint dining room.
The living room:
What is that thing over the TV? Hmmm…..
One of the 2 bathrooms:
The main level also includes an office and an unfinished mudroom.
On the second floor, there are 4 bedrooms, a 3/4 bath, laundry area, and attic storage rooms.
And look at this bedroom:
It has a witch window! What is a witch window you ask?
Commonly seen in the northern parts of the Vermont countryside, witch windows are oriented at an odd angle along the roof lines of old homes. According to superstition, these so-called “witch windows” were purposely tilted at 45 degrees to prevent witches from flying through into the house.
Would that stop House Crazy Sarah? Heck no, she’d just steer her broom to a little sideways tilt and breeze on in!
This old house needs a bit of love, but some renovations/improvements were made over the years including: radiant floor heat in most of the first level, insulation, some replacement windows, new chimney, newer heating system, and the dormer has been repaired over the jail.
Now to the fun part!
While the main house served as the Jailer’s residence, attached to the north wall of the house is the former Essex County Jail (in use until 1969!). The 28′ x 40′ wing still has the prison cells with barred windows, toilets, sinks, bunks & the Jailers Office.
Sure it needs a little cleaning, but imagine the possibilities folks!
All spruced up, wouldn’t the jail section make a super fun B&B? 🙂
The jail section juts out from the main house and has a separate entrance as you can see below:
The village of Guildhall, Vermont, has fewer than 300 people so there’s probably not a whole lot of criminal activity there to begin with.
The jail/home is situated on nearly an acre of land with a large private backyard and detached old barn for storage.
This is such a one-of-a-kind, affordable property in beautiful rural Vermont, it should sell rather quickly.
Would House Crazy Sarah live in such a quirky place?
You bet she would! Criminals or not!
Sources:
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/43-Courthouse-Dr-Guildhall-VT-05905/193818039_zpid/
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The witch window is interesting. I like the house but the jail is a little creepy for me.
It is a little on the nasty side, lol