Picture Tolland — Vintage Accommodations For The Very Naughty

TOLLAND, CT — The latest installment of the Picture Tolland series takes us to the Tolland Green and a spot deep inside the Old Tolland County Jailhouse.

It was a place reserved for the very naughty.

It's a solitary confinement cell at the jail, which is now a museum operated by the Tolland Historical Society. It's a stone prison built in 1856, which operated until 1968.

Cell 17 was tucked onto a dark corner under a staircase.

Did we mention dark?

During the 19th century, the Tolland Green served as the hub of law and order for all of Tolland County. Those who broke the law in the area were tried in the courthouse across the Green, and, if found guilty of misdemeanors requiring jail time of up to one year, would serve their time at the jail, probably working in the barns and gardens on the property and on the 100-acre farm property where the Tolland Middle School is today.

They also could be assigned to work in the kitchen.

More serious crimes warranted more serious punishment — like some time in solitary.

See more about the jailhouse museum here.

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Picture Tolland is a periodic series featuring images of the town, past and present.