Historical Information

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Wayne County was created in 1823 from Ontario and Seneca Counties. The western portion of the county was part of the Phelps Gorham Purchase, originally part of Massachusetts. The Eastern portion was territory belonging to New York and given to veterans of the Revolutionary War in payment for their service, this was known as the Military Tract. The line between the two properties is known as the "Preemption Line" and can be followed roughly along Preemption Road. The imaginary line extended from the mouth of the Great Sodus Bay, southward to Seneca Lake and to the Pennsylvania border.

When Wayne County was created, it kept the same form of government and had to "set up shop" for its' own,creating political offices and building to hold government. Up until that time, the county seat was in Canadaigua, the "mother" county. Ontario County was basically most of western New York until then, losing Steuben in 1796, the land west of the Genessee River in 1802, Livingston and Monroe in 1821, and Wayne and Yates in 1823.

First Permanent Jail

The county jail was located in Canadaigua as were the courts, people had to travel great distances to be heard, over roadways that were almost nonexistent. Legislators rushed to build the infrastructure and in 1824, the County Courthouse and Jail were completed. The jail and Courthouse were both housed in the same building, the court upstairs and the jail downstairs, located in the Village of Lyons, in the present park across from the Courthouse on Church Street. According to the Wayne County Historical Society, there was a dungeon, three cells, and a room for debtors. At the time, society dealt with many of its problems by locking them up, therefore, people were incarcerated for indebtedness, mental illness, vagrancy and other acts ranging from larceny to murder.

There was no segregation within the jail, with respect to sex, age or degree of crime. Another problem was that in early years, the grand jury only convened twice a year, requiring prisoners to be held for long periods of time and, if for some reason the grand jury was cancelled, prisoners would be held even longer. There was no plumbing in the cells as there is today.

The jail was modest. The press at the time reported that the jail was built for approximately $5000, attributed to the fact that we were a rural, impoverished, farming community. Population in 1823 was 26,761. Things rapidly degraded and by 1850, just 26 years after it had opened, the jail had become a serious problem. The population of the county had doubled and the income had tripled. News reports of the time reported that the new wealth increased lawlessness and Wayne County had difficulty coping. The Syracuse Post Standard reported on October 8, 1852 that "seven out of the nine prisoners confined in the Wayne County Jail escaped Tuesday night owing to the insecure state of the prison."

Article from Wayne County Whig January 22, 1851

Second Jail Built

The jail was finally condemned and the Wayne County Legislature appropriated money to build a new jail. The new facility would be separate from the court and located on Butternut Street at the end of Church Street in the Village of Lyons. Total cost for both the Courthouse and Jail, $43,906.16. The new jail was completed and occupied in January of 1856.

The new jail was constructed to blend in with the neighborhood and some say it was modelled after the jail in Hartford Connecticut. The jail was constructed so that the Sheriff's Office and residence were attached to and in front of the actual cells. It is reported that the reason for the proximity to the jail was that the inmates could learn from the fine example of the jail keeper and his family. Actually, the Sheriff's wife assisted in taking care of the inmates, cooking and watching the few female prisoners.

Report on the Condition of the Jail - Lyons Republican April 15, 1864

The new jail had cells that were 7 feet X 4 feet X 9 feet. The contents consisted of a 26 inch wide cot that folded against the wall, a straw mattress, blankets and a night pail. The night pail took the place of toilets and it was considered a luxury when they replaced the wooden pails with metal. The sewage was dumped in a nearby stream until the neighbors complained and a cesspool was built. The poor ventilation in the jail combined with the kerosene lights made the surroundings difficult.

Water was carried in from the cistern in the cellar for washing. In 1914 the men were bathing in a single large tin tub brought in for that purpose. The Lyons Republican article describes the frequency of hygienic duties. The Village of Lyons had completed a sewer and water system in 1914 but the Supervisors of Wayne County supposed that a new jail would eventually be built and held off even though the Prison Commission was recommending the replacement. Little did they know that it would be another 46 years.

Third New Jail Authorized

Wayne County was rapidly changing. The population was changing as were society's views on incarceration. One hundred and four years after moving into the new jail. Sheriff Robert Burns closed up shop and moved the Sheriff's Offices and Jail into a new facility in January 1961, built on property owned by the county near what was know as the poorhouse, between the Village of Lyons and Village of Newark. The location was still in Lyons, on Route 31 (formerly the Rochester, Syracuse and Eastern Trolly Line).

The population of Wayne County had increased dramatically between 1950 and 1960, growing from 57,000 to almost 68,000 and with it came an increase in crime. The old jail had been so overcrowded that prisoners were sleeping on the floor, on tables and anywhere they could find a place to lay down. The new facility on Route 31 had room for 29 prisoners, not a significant increase over the number that were packed into the Butternut St. jail but segregating them by sex, age, and nature of crime so that they were more manageable.

Changing Role

The Sheriff received his pay by collecting fees as officer of the court. The Board of Supervisors changed all of that in 1899 when the Wayne County Sheriff became a salaried position.

There was a law in New York State from 1847 to 1938 that prohibited Sheriffs from succeeding themselves for at least one term of office. This is why in the chart in the Index area Jerry Collins appears as sometimes a deputy and sometimes sheriff. Today, Richard Pisciotti has been Sheriff for 21 years.

Deputy Sheriffs were political appointees. No special training was required. Today they must be hired off of the Civil Service list and must complete a basic police officers school and are encouraged to seek further education.

The Sheriff used his personal vehicle for business and was reimbursed by the county for mileage. Today each officer is assighned a vehicle and is responsible to maintain the vehicle properly.

For many years, the Sheriff had one Deputy. By 1955 the jail staff had grown to five. In 1960 the staff numbered fifteen and by 1970 it had grown to twenty five. Today there are approximately 190 employees.

Continue to Sheriff's Information Index

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	Wayne County was created in 1823 from Ontario and Seneca Counties. The western portion of the county was part of the Phelps Gorham Purchase, originally part of Massachusetts. The Eastern portion was territory belonging to New York and given to veterans of the Revolutionary War in payment for their service, this was known as the Military Tract. The line between the two properties is known as the "Preemption Line" and can be followed roughly along Preemption Road. The imaginary line extended from the mouth of the Great Sodus Bay, southward to Seneca Lake and to the Pennsylvania border.
	When Wayne County was created, it kept the same form of government and had to "set up shop" for its' own,creating political offices and building to hold government. Up until that time, the county seat was in Canadaigua, the "mother" county. Ontario County was basically most of western New York until then, losing Steuben in 1796, the land west of the Genessee River in 1802, Livingston and Monroe in 1821, and Wayne and Yates in 1823.
	First Permanent Jail The county jail was located in Canadaigua as were the courts, people had to travel great distances to be heard, over roadways that were almost nonexistent. Legislators rushed to build the infrastructure and in 1824, the County Courthouse and Jail were completed. The jail and Courthouse were both housed in the same building, the court upstairs and the jail downstairs, located in the Village of Lyons, in the present park across from the Courthouse on Church Street. According to the Wayne County Historical Society, there was a dungeon, three cells, and a room for debtors. At the time, society dealt with many of its problems by locking them up, therefore, people were incarcerated for indebtedness, mental illness, vagrancy and other acts ranging from larceny to murder. There was no segregation within the jail, with respect to sex, age or degree of crime. Another problem was that in early years, the grand jury only convened twice a year, requiring prisoners to be held for long periods of time and, if for some reason the grand jury was cancelled, prisoners would be held even longer. There was no plumbing in the cells as there is today. The jail was modest. The press at the time reported that the jail was built for approximately $5000, attributed to the fact that we were a rural, impoverished, farming community. Population in 1823 was 26,761. Things rapidly degraded and by 1850, just 26 years after it had opened, the jail had become a serious problem. The population of the county had doubled and the income had tripled. News reports of the time reported that the new wealth increased lawlessness and Wayne County had difficulty coping. The Syracuse Post Standard reported on October 8, 1852 that "seven out of the nine prisoners confined in the Wayne County Jail escaped Tuesday night owing to the insecure state of the prison."
	Article from Wayne County Whig January 22, 1851
	Second Jail Built The jail was finally condemned and the Wayne County Legislature appropriated money to build a new jail. The new facility would be separate from the court and located on Butternut Street at the end of Church Street in the Village of Lyons. Total cost for both the Courthouse and Jail, $43,906.16. The new jail was completed and occupied in January of 1856.

	Historical Information