The Nicholas Street Gaol (also formally known as the Carleton County Gaol, and less formally as the Ottawa Jail) was the main jail of Ottawa, Canada for over a century. The structure at 75 Nicholas Street was built in 1862 next door to the courthouse, and connected by a tunnel. Designed by Henry Horsey, the jail was the site of the hanging of Patrick J. Whelan on February 11, 1869, for the assassination of Thomas D'Arcy McGee. Over 5,000 people witnessed Whelan's hanging, which was a large number considering the size of Ottawa at the time. The final execution at the jail took place on March 27, 1946, when Eugene Larmont, who had killed an Ottawa police detective, was hanged. The building remained in use as a jail until 1972 when the outdated facility was closed. It reopened the next year as the Ottawa Jail Hostel and remains a youth hostel to this day. The original gallows, however, are intact and remain fully functional. While open, the jail inflicted very inhumane conditions upon those imprisoned there. Up to 150 prisoners would be forced to share 60 small cells (1x3 meters) and 30 larger cells (2x3 meters); as well as six solitary confinement units. It wasn't only men who were [ - ]

The Nicholas Street Gaol (also formally known as the Carleton County Gaol, and less formally as... [ + ]