Cambria County Jail, Gefängnis in den Vereinigten Staaten
The Cambria County Jail is a prison building in Ebensburg completed in 1872, constructed from locally quarried light-colored sandstone with distinctive corner turrets and a prominent stone tower at the front entrance. The structure measures approximately 130 feet long and 56 feet wide, surrounded by a tall stone wall about 22 feet high, and originally contained 34 cells arranged on two levels with each cell measuring around 15 by 8 feet.
Construction began in 1870 and was completed in 1872 to replace a smaller facility that had become inadequate and where prisoners singing loud psalms during prayer had once disrupted the courtroom above. Its establishment helped secure Ebensburg's position as the county seat, strengthening the town's status as the administrative center.
The jail served as a center of justice for the region and shaped how locals understood crime and punishment over many decades. Its Gothic Revival architecture with pointed arches and solid stone construction became a defining landmark that reflects the community's history and values from that era.
The building is viewable from the street for its exterior Gothic Revival architecture, though interior access is only available through guided tours that explore the cell blocks and basement areas. Visitors should wear warm clothing as the interior remains cool and damp, with uneven floors and steep stairs typical of buildings from that era.
A notable local story involves a prisoner named Michael Smith who was scheduled for execution in 1884 but vanished the day before, leaving a note for the jail warden that sparked decades of speculation about his fate. His mysterious disappearance remains one of the most talked-about incidents in the facility's history.
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