This Allegany County historical landmark was built just after the Civil War
From the Arkport-Canisteo Valley Historical Society, Follow them on Facebook
Photos, courtesy of Dorothy Dunham
On weekends until ice and snow conditions, and by appointment, Canaseraga opens the door of its historic village jail to visitors and tourists. It is a tiny brick building approximately six feet by nine feet and is situated on an upgrade at the edge of the Canaseraga Cemetery, West Main Street.
The jail is owned by the Town of Burns. The jail was built in 1873 on land donated by the Cemetery Association from bricks leftover from the construction of the Union School in Canaseraga. In the yard is a cast iron light that was originally an oil lamp, converted to electricity in 1924, and to solar charged light in 2018. There was also a New York State Historical Marker in the yard, but has been missing for several years.
At one time, there was a sign on the door which read: “KEEP DOOR CLOSED”. Citizens of Canaseraga rebuilt the steps in 1976. Several years ago, a Canaseraga resident, Robert Smith, donated a stone-carved horse watering trough to the Marjorie Dieter Mastin Historical Society. The trough had been part of a barn property, since demolished, and Mr. Smith wanted it to be permanently preserved.
Cooperation between the Town of Burns, a local business (Charles Oliver and Sons), and the historical society resulted in the watering trough being placed in front of the jail. The jail interior is unchanged from its days as the local “lock-up”. The walls and ceiling are clad with metal sheathing. The doors, appearing to exceed two inches in thickness, are very substantial heavy metal-clad and the hardware on the doors and hinges were wrought by a blacksmith, as were the bars on outside windows and the two cells. A potbellied iron stove served as a heat source, and a faucet was installed outside the cells.
Inside each cell, there was space for a cot and a cast iron toilet. Water lines froze in the winter, so toilets and sink were removed and prob-ably added to collections of metal for the World War II citizen’s war effort. In 1924, electricity was installed inside.The first criminals to reside in the lock-up were a man and woman arrested for the severe beatingof a six or seven year old child. Eventually, the pair was sent to the Angelica Jail, and the child was sent to the County Poorhouse. Besides housing local criminals, there are records that reveal that “lodgers” were housed.
Local records also refer to its generous use as a “sobering up” site. Records reveal that local officials budgeted $40 for a year’s expenses in 1925. The jail was closed in the early 1940s and was cleaned and repaired in 1976 by local citizens. Inside the jail are displays of printed memories of local people, interesting reading.Fifth graders from Canaseraga Central School make a visit to the historic site every year, and it isa “big hit” with the students. The lock-up was used for one day last November 2024 by a group of Rochester area paranormal activity hunters. Apparently, they found no ghosts, nor did their specialized cameras.
The President of the Marjorie Dieter Mastin Historical Society in Canaseraga, Deborah Snyder, says: “The local town jail in Canaseraga, despite its size, is a significant landmark. The MarjorieDieter Mastin Historical Society, of Canaseraga, is very proud to be able to boast about having the oldest jail, still in existence, in NY state!”The Marjorie Dieter Mastin Historical Society and the Canisteo Valley Historical Society news-letter editors, Holley Spencer and Dorothy Dunham, respectively, collaborated on this article, re-lying on the Town of Burns archives.
