History Behind Bars: Old Allegheny County Jail Museum reopens to public
Katherine Mansfield
The Bridge of Sighs connects the Allegheny County Courthouse and the jail in a lovely arc over Ross Street. The bridge蘑菇视频 design was borrowed by Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson from the Doge蘑菇视频 Palace in Venice, Italy, and the name alludes to the sighs of prisoners drinking in final views of the city as they marched to their cells.
Courtesy of Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation
The warden蘑菇视频 home, which offers a marvelous view of the Bridge of Sighs, was designed by the same man responsible for the magnificent Old Allegheny County Jail and courthouse: Boston architect Henry Hobson Richardson. This publication by the PHLM explains the grandeur of the warden蘑菇视频 home.
鈥淧rison鈥� isn鈥檛 usually high on the list of date or family day out ideas, but an afternoon at the Old Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh蘑菇视频 downtown is fun for all ages.
Self-guided tours of the Allegheny County Courthouse and Jail begin at the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Ross Street, but the real treat is a trip through the Old Allegheny County Jail Museum, led by volunteer docents Al and Cindy Stanish on the first and third Monday of each month.
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 a lot of fun to share with people, answer their questions when possible,鈥� said Al Stanish, of South Park. 鈥淥ur kids are grown and married. It蘑菇视频 time to give back.鈥�
Giving back through education makes sense to Stanish, a retired Chartiers Valley environmental science teacher with a passion for local history. When Stanish蘑菇视频 wife saw a volunteer opportunity with Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation about four years ago, she figured hanging out in the jail museum was right up her husband蘑菇视频 alley.
The Stanishes learned all they could about the jail from former deputy warden and musuem curator Ed Urban. When COVID-19 hit, the jail museum closed, and the Stanishes did time on the outside, waiting for their opportunity to reopen the jail to visitors.
The bars opened again in May, and the Stanishes 鈥� Al, in partcicular 鈥� revel in welcoming folks inside to ogle relics like inmate handcuffs and artworks or marvel at the size of jail cells.
鈥淭hese cells are the original brick,鈥� Al Stanish said on a recent Monday, motioning to the thick, cold wall. 鈥淭hey brought them over here to build this reconstruction. It蘑菇视频 really pretty neat.鈥�
Neat, too, is the space, and Stanish knows all about the jail蘑菇视频 fascinating design and construction. The docent蘑菇视频 eyes twinkle as he recounts the jail蘑菇视频 history and colorful inhabitants.
鈥淲e have two famous people in this jail,鈥� Stanish told a museum visitor. 鈥淥ne was the man who attacked Frick (Alexander Berkman). And the other was Carl Sandburg.鈥�
鈥淐arl Sandburg was here in this jail?鈥� the woman exclaimed.
Sandburg, a Pulitzer Prize-winning poet who often read at the Women蘑菇视频 Club of Sewickley, Penn State University and the Pennsylvania College for Women, made his aquaintance with Pittsburgh in 1904, from inside the Allengheny County jail. He even referenced his ten-day stint behind bars in 鈥淏oes,鈥� which was included in his 1916 book of poetry titled 鈥淐hicago Poems.鈥�
鈥淚t蘑菇视频 interesting,鈥� Stanish said.
Stanish makes it all interesting: The Venice-inspired Bridge of Sighs, which connects the courthouse to the jail in a lovely arc over Ross Street; the rec yard, where hangings took place; the woman who volunteered at, and helped prisoners escape from, Old Allegheny County Jail.
But you won鈥檛 read the most interesting details 鈥� like how the jail sat empty for four months after construction wrapped, so the mortar and brick could dry 鈥� or the juciest jail gossip 鈥� like the movies filmed inside the jail蘑菇视频 walls, tales of affairs and escapes 鈥� in this article. You鈥檒l need to visit Al and Cindy Stanish to learn those fascinating tidbits of history, from the inside.
鈥淚 can tell you all kinds of stuff,鈥� Stanish said.
Learn all kinds of stuff during a docent-led tour, which is free and open to the public between 11:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. the first and third Monday of every month.
The Old Allegheny County Jail may be accessed at the entrance to family court, at 400 Ross Street, Pittsburgh.
To reserve a tour, or ensure the museum is open on a certain Monday, contact Mary Lu Denny, director of membership services for Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, at marylu@phlf.org, or call 412-471-5808, ext. 527.
For more information on jail museum tours or the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, visit https://phlf.org/.