Old Jail Museum Extends 1st Friday Hours
The Old Jail Museum will continue to be open to the public for extended hours on Leonardtown, MD, First Fridays in addition to regular daily visitation hours.
Interested visitors are encouraged to tour this unique and fascinating historic site. The museum is open for regular hours daily, from 10am to 5pm. Admission is free for all ages.
The museum also will be open for special hours during Leonardtown First Fridays from 10am to 7pm, on the first Friday of each month. The only days during the year that the museum is closed are Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.
Staff will showcase the Old Jail and its story. A special exhibit regarding Benjamin Hance, a young African American man who was held at the Old Jail in 1887 and later killed by a local mob, is on display. Mr. Hance is the only documented lynching victim recorded in St. Mary’s County.
The Old Jail Museum is one of three sites in St. Mary’s County on the National Park’s Service’s Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, and features stories and exhibits related to that era.
The location also serves as the official Leonardtown Visitor Center, where visitors can find information about things to do in Leonardtown, St. Mary’s County, and the Southern Maryland region.
The Old Jail is at 41625 Court House Drive on the grounds of the courthouse in downtown Leonardtown, a short walk from the square.
For more information about the jail, special hours, contact information, and updates, visit Facebook.com/TheOldJailMuseum.
The St. Mary’s County Historical Society is the repository of a unique collection of Maryland memorabilia and museum pieces displayed on the first floor of the nearby Tudor Hall and in the Old Jail Museum. The 18th-century Tudor Hall also serves as headquarters of the society and houses the Historical Society’s Research Center.
Much of the materials available through the Historical Society are digitized and accessible here.
To learn more about the St. Mary’s Historical Society, visit its Leader member page.
