Join Us for a Journey into Noble
County's Past
(click on the picture
to learn more)
Constructed in
1876 as a place of confinement for wrongdoers- both accused and convicted- and
also as a 
home for
Noble County sheriffs and their families, today the barred, crenellated,
three-story brick and stone building one block west of the courthouse in Albion
offers a unique glimpse into the county's past.
Converted from a jail to the Old Jail Museum in 1968, since that time it has
been owned and operated by the Noble County Historical Society to preserve
and display reminders of the history of Noble County since its creation in
1836.
From its
heavily-barred cells to the stately front stairway sitting room and bedroom, the
Old Jail Museum invites visitors to step back in time to a Noble County long
ago.
On display are such items as children's toys, books, furniture, clothing, farm
implements, medical instruments, weapons, appliances, kitchen utensils, recently
acquired sports items from the 8 former high schools in Noble County and a
variety of other artifacts from long ago.
Pass through the heavy iron doors of the cell block 
and
sense the despair and
dread experienced by inmates when they clanged the door shut. However, all
the locks and bars did not prevent young Marvin Kuhns, noted Noble County
desperado, from escaping the jail three times in the late 19th century.
Among the many exhibits are an automatic stamp dispensing machine invented in
1911 by a Noble County resident, a viola built by another Noble County native,
one of the many stringed instruments he created for musicians all over the
United States, and the tooth of a mastodon long buried beneath the ground in the
western part of the county. The Old Jail Museum was entered on the
National Register of Historic Places Dec. 27, 1982.
Open
Saturday
1:30
to 4:30pm
Memorial
Day weekend through the 2nd Sunday in
September.
Admission $3.00 adults $1.00 School age children
Tours
by appointment 260-636-3929
