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Spicer.
Spicer Lockup
Few people realize that Spicer once had a village jail or
lockup for detaining prisoners. The village purchased the two lots where the
firehouse now stands from William Olson for $100 in 1906 and employed Andrew
Bjorsell to build the structure at a cost of $294.59, utilizing “five cord of
rock” purchased by the street commissioner. The bars for the jail window were
purchased from J.J. Henderson for $1.75. According to the village minutes, the
building was not completed until 1909, some three years later. An idea of the
size of the jail can be obtained by the fact that in 1910 the council gave
permission to do some filling on the lot so that it could be used a s a public
tennis court.
In 1922, Jack Houston asked to rent the old jail building for use as a cream
station. His request was rejected for the reason that the building was not in
usable condition. The following year the council instructed the fire and light
commission to wreck the old jail building and to move the firehouse on to the
lots of Block 22, utilizing materials from the jail for the firehouse
foundation. No records exist indicating that the lockup was ever used for the
purpose intended.
Archive:
- April 2007 - Ice Castle
- March 2007 - Ice Works
- February 2007 - Icing Operations (Part 2)
- January 2007 - Icing Operations (Part 1)
- December 2006 - Belle of Green Lake
- November 2006 - Green Lake Property Owners' Association
- October 2006 - The Woodcocks
- September 2006 - Early History of the Old Mill
- August 2006 - Green Lake
- July 2006 - Early Years 1920
- June 2006 - Early Years 1910
- May 2006 - Early Years 1856
- April 2006 - Early History 2
- March 2006 - Early History
- February 2006 - Green Lake Lutheran Bible Camp
- January 2006 - Recollections Part 5