Wayne County prison razed

HONESDALE, PA - One gets an eerie feeling watching a demolition crane razing the Wayne County Prison that sits behind the Wayne County Courthouse on Court Street in Honesdale.

As the demolition crane tears open the cells of the prison that held so many prisoners over 74 years, you wonder what sorrows and regrets were housed in there. If you have a lively imagination, you can almost see the spirits of those sorrows and regrets escaping into the open air.

The prison was closed in 2008 after the new correctional facility was opened on Route 6 in Indian Orchard.

“We plan to use the space for a much-needed parking lot,” said Brian Smith, chairman of the Wayne County Commissioners.

The footprint of the old building cover 2,888 square yards, which will add to the already existing 4,750 yards of parking space and paths that surround the buildings of the complex. The entire amount of that surface will be blacktopped in a few weeks, Smith said.