Lindsay’s historic jail building at 50 Victoria Avenue North is getting a facelift.
The City of Kawartha Lakes has announced that the Old Gaol building — home to the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives — will be undergoing significant repairs over the next several months to restore the building envelope.
The repairs include masonry repairs and repointing of mortar, replacing four windows with like-for-like heritage windows, refinishing of the existing wood door facing Victoria Street, and wood soffit repairs.
In addition, part of the roof will be replaced and the existing wood ramp will be removed and replaced with an accessibility-compliant concrete ramp.
“The City of Kawartha Lakes has taken on this project to restore this historically significant building, keeping it functional for occupants and visitors for many more years to come,” read a media release from the municipality.
Although the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives will remain operational while the repair work is underway, temporary entrances may be in place.
The repair work is expected to be fully completed by May 2026.
The Victoria County Jail was built in 1863 at the same time as the court house, after Victoria County separated from Peterborough County. Prior to the opening of the jail, all court activity and incarceration was handled in what was then the town of Peterborough.
Both the jail and courthouse were designed by architect William G. Storm of Cumberland and Storm, and both were constructed by the John Kesteven.
The building, which received heritage designation in 2000, was in continuous use as a correctional institution until February 2003, when the inmates were moved to the Central East Correctional Centre just outside Lindsay.
In 2011, after several years of fundraising efforts and renovations and repairs to bring the building up to code and make it suitable for use as a museum, the Victoria County Historical Society reopened the building as the Olde Gaol Museum to preserve the history of the jail as well as the social, economic, industrial, and political heritage of the Kawartha Lakes.
The Olde Gaol Museum was rebranded in 2022 as the Kawartha Lakes Museum and Archives, which is a charitable non-profit organization dedicated to increasing community awareness and appreciation of local heritage.
