Colonial 1719 stone gaol and museum complex in York Village
3 Lindsay Road, York, ME 03909
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Old York Historical Society site combo ticket; check oldyork.org for current rates and the Old Gaol opening calendar.
Access
Limited Access
Multiple historic buildings; cobbled paths and stairs
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1720 · National Historic Landmark (Old Gaol) · One of oldest surviving government buildings in U.S. · Colonial Massachusetts colony era · Old York Historical Society (1900)
The Old York Historical Society operates a complex of historic buildings in York Village, Maine, anchored by the Old Gaol, built between 1719 and 1720 and standing today as a National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest surviving government buildings in the United States. Atop a rocky hill near the center of York Village, the Gaol was constructed in stages: the first plank prison on the site was completed in 1656 and demolished around 1720, replaced by the Stone Prison (1720), the House of Correction (1707), and the Gaoler's Residence (1729). The Gaol operated for more than half a century, housing both felons and debtors in cramped, inadequately ventilated conditions.
The Old York Historical Society and Elizabeth Perkins led restoration efforts that opened the Old Gaol as a museum in 1900. The wider Society today interprets York Village's history through multiple buildings, including the Jefferds Tavern, the Old Schoolhouse, the John Hancock Warehouse, and the Elizabeth Perkins House, all open seasonally with costumed guides.
Sources
Local York Village tradition associates the museum complex with the apparition of a woman known as The White Witch. The Shadowlands account describes her as a young woman executed for witchcraft from the building, although the documented use of the museum-anchored buildings is the Old Gaol and adjacent civic structures rather than a witch-trial venue. The local tradition does not align cleanly with the documented record of York County colonial-era prosecutions, and the witchcraft framing should be treated as oral tradition.
Visitors have reported doors opening on their own, items moving, and unexpected cold breezes inside the museum buildings. Children at the day care across the street are said to be visited by a 'nice lady in white' during recess. The traditions are presented soberly and the apparition is consistently described as gentle. The phenomena are catalogued in regional Maine paranormal writing.
Tour the 1719-1720 Old Gaol, a National Historic Landmark and one of the oldest surviving government buildings in the United States. The Old York Historical Society interprets York Village's three-and-a-half-century history through multiple buildings.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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