P5573

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Details

ID Number

P5573

Item Name

Image

Title

Quebec Rifles at the Court House & Jail / Les Quebec Rifles au palais de justice et prison

Title (Fre)

Les Quebec Rifles au palais de justice et prison

Date

ca 1866

Description

Black and white photograph of a company of Quebec Rifles in front of the Court House and jail; the photo has been taken from some distance away; a log fence is visible in the foreground; the rifle company consists of a great number of military men, all in uniform and holding rifles; the brick courthouse is visible behind the men; it is two storeys high with rectangular and arched windows and several chimneys; "1800" is printed above the photograph and hand written below is: "The Old Brick Court House and Jail - Built about the year 1800; the Soldiers in picture is a company of the Quebec Rifles."

History

The first brick Court House and Jail was a square red building surrounded by a pallisade of cedar posts, which served a double purpose of keeping the prisoners in and the enemy out. It was erected about 1820. The building served Essex County prior to the building of Mackenzie Hall in 1855. After 1855, the building housed some court functions and a grammar school. During the Fenian troubles of 1866 - 1870 it was used part of the time for a barracks for the militia. The soldiers in the photo are some of the Quebec Rifles, stationed at Sandwich at the time. The building was torn down in 1870 - 71 to make way for a large block stone prison which was, at the time, considered one of the most modern and up-to-date prisons in Canada.

Place made

Canada - Ontario - Sandwich

Collection Name

Museum Windsor

Subjects

Buildings / Immeubles

Canadian Army organization

Courthouses / Tribunaux

Fences / clôtures

Government facilities / Édifices gouvernementaux

Jails / Prisons

Men / Hommes

Military officers / Officiers militaires

Military personnel / Personnel militaire

Military uniforms / Uniformes militaires

Municipal government / Administration municipale

Quebec Rifles organization

Rifles / Fusils

Sandwich (Ont.)