Old Town Jail – Port Wing, WI - Retired Prisons on Waymarking.com

Port Wing’s old town jail is just one of several historical displays in this little city park. There is a sign which tells more about it:

The Old Town Jail. During Port Wing’s early days it was a pretty rough sawmill town surrounded by a dozen or more logging camps each of which employed up to a hundred men.

Stories were told of the fearless, brawling lumberjacks, who after a hard winter’s work would hit the town with their pay in hand. The local saloons and dance hall were ready to take their money and show them a good time, but sometimes things would become rowdy and dangerous. The local constable was kept busy.

In 1896 this jailhouse was built with double walls of two inch solid white oak planking, one laid horizontally and one vertically; and wrought iron doors, windows and hinges at least a half inch thick. It has two cells and front office space.

Originally the jail was located at the very edge of town about seven blocks North of here.

Town records show it was assessed at a mere $2.00 when the town of Port Wing was created in 1901, but the police officer was paid $45.00 per month, a pricely sum in those days.

Although serious crimes were rare in Port Wing, the old jail continued to serve its purpose until sometime in the 1930’s.

Address: Hwy. 13 Port Wing, WI USA 54865 Open to the public: Yes Fees?: No fees Hours: Not listed Web link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
In order to add a new log to the waymark of this category, simply take another photo of the prison from a different angle than the other posts. Also add to the history of the jail when possible.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   05/27/2021 lostcheq visited it