At the County Museum

Wayne County Old Jail Museum has a special exhibit on display celebrating the 40 years it's been open to the public at 21 Butternut St., Lyons.

The Museum is managed by the Wayne County Historical Society and housed in the building that once served as the Wayne County Jail.

From 1854 through 1960, the 24 nine-by-four-by7 cells of the jail held a few infamous criminals, like notorious train robber, Oliver Curtis Perry, and many more common wrongdoers, train riders, drunks and petty thieves. In 1961, the empty jail and attached sheriff's residence became home to the Wayne County Historical Society and was filled with permanent and temporary exhibits that display examples of life in early Wayne County.

The Wayne County Museum was the first county museum to open in New York State and began to greet the public in September 1962.

Today, it is the only institution of its kind that serves the public on a full-time basis in Wayne County.

The Society is always interested in donations of artifacts and memorabilia that represent life in early Wayne County, particularly diaries, letters, newspapers, scrapbooks and pictures.

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