Video tour of Old Jail in Lyons

For people who cannot travel to Lyons to visit the Wayne County Old Jail Museum, and for those who cannot visit all floors of the Museum once they arrive, there is now an opportunity available that provides a tour of the Museum without having to actually visit the facility.

The Old Jail Museum, located at 21 Butternut Street, Lyons, is housed in the building that was once the Wayne County Jail.

From 1854 through 1960, the 24 jail cells (9 by 4 by 7 feet) 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 home 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.

Since the three-story building is not totally handicapped accessible, the Society constantly strives to make the Museum more accessible to individuals who have mobility-affecting disabilities.

The Society also searches for ways to make programs and information available to those who live in the far corners of the County. To provide a way for those who could not or would not normally tour the Old Jail Museum, a grant was secured to produce a Museum tour video.

Mark Graveline, a Troy resident who earned an undergraduate degree in electronic arts with a specialty in video and sound art, filmed and edited the 45-minute video that guides viewers through each exhibit room of the Old Jail Museum. Costumed interpreters guide tours for the cameraman.

Copies of the video are now being reproduced and will be made available to schools, libraries, nursing homes, nutrition sites, senior living centers, and other organizations, at the cost of reproduction.

For more information, or to obtain a copy of the video, call 946.4943.

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