The Licking County Board of Commissioners approved $150,000 in funding for the Licking County Governmental Preservation Society for repairs and improvements at the Historic County Jail.
According to the agenda for the board's January 29 meeting, the county is responsible for acquiring buildings for public use and may improve them as needed. The agenda also notes that the Historic County Jail has occasionally been used to promote tourism by hosting various events. The Licking County Governmental Preservation Society, a nonprofit organization, holds a lease with the county to coordinate events at the historic jail and preserve it. The jail requires improvements and repairs that the nonprofit plans to address.
According to information from newarkjail.com, a website dedicated to the Jail of Terror Haunted Attraction, the jail was designed by J.W. Yost, a renowned Ohio architect, and opened in November 1889. It is located at 46 South 3rd St., Newark, and originally cost $120,000 to build.
The website recounts an incident on July 8, 1910, when Carl Etherington, a detective with the Anti-Saloon League of Ohio, came to Newark to raid saloons and speakeasies for illegal alcohol. After shooting local saloon owner William Howard in self-defense, Etherington was taken to the jail. A mob subsequently stormed the facility and forcibly removed Etherington before hanging him from a telephone pole near the courthouse square. Governor Judson Harmon intervened in this case, leading to indictments against 58 participants on charges including murder and rioting.
The notoriety of this event and other historical occurrences have made the Historic County Jail one of Ohio's most significant historic jails. Interest has grown regarding its potential haunting status. The SINdicate Haunted House Group operates a haunted attraction at this location.
