Welcome to Ye Olde Jail, North America's smallest and oldest jail

The town of Rodney is home to one of the most unique jails in North America.

But it isn't state of the art security that sets the building apart. It's the jail's size and age.

Measuring a petite 4.8 metres by 5.5 metres, residents say that Ye Olde Jail's is North America's oldest and smallest jail.

"I compare it to a very small war time kitchen," said West Elgin's deputy mayor Taraesa Tellier.

Also in the running for smallest jail is the Tweed Jail north of Toronto which measures in at 4.78 metres by 6 metres.

Ye Olde Jail was built in 1890 for around $200, in the small community between Chatham and London.

It was built during the prohibition era when Rodney was a dry town, Tellier said. Town officials felt they needed a space to lock up individuals who were drunk, and so they constructed a small building that would serve as a drunk tank.

Room for two

The jail is only about 25 square metres, and contains just two jail cells along withan entrance way where a warden or police officer could record who came in or out.It also features a small wood fire stove.

Tellier said people who were drunk would be brought to the jail to sober up, but there was an open door policy for when alcohol had cleared their system.

"The jails were left open, and then they'd mosey on home when they'd sobered up a bit," she said.

The jail was last used in 1910 when the town hall was built, she said. The building was later used as a ticketing booth, administrative building and as a treasury for the town fairs that would take place annually.

A tiny tour of Rodney's Ye Olde Jail

4 months ago

Duration 1:45

West Elgin's deputy mayor, Taraesa Tellier, gives CBC's Matt Allen a tour of Ye Olde Jail.

What does it mean to the community?

Today, the jail is a tourist attraction for the town of Rodney and features prominently during holiday celebrations like Halloween when families enjoy the spooky atmosphere, Tellier said.

"The dads I think are more excited than the kids to be honest," shesaid. "They take pictures of [the kids] through the bars in the jail."

People travel to the town to visit the jail, or they might stop on the side of the road as they drive through, she said.

"When they come by, they're just fascinated by the history of it, how it came to be, everything about it, and then it just expands into all of Rodney," she said.

Fundraising for community town hall

Tellieris considering spending a night in the jail as part of fundraising efforts for the city's town hall. The hall has been used for more than 100 years as adaycare facility, a post office, and a card game hall. The town has applied for federal funding to renovate the space.

Tellier said she hopes that the town can raise the money to restore its social hub.

"There's nothing like a politician in jail to raise some money," she said.