Maitland Mercury, Monday 2 November, 2009
Some of the most daring – and unusual – escapes from Maitland Gaol will be retold as a quirky addition to the Bitter and Twisted International Boutique Beer Festival this weekend. But while some of the tales lend themselves to the script of a Hollywood blockbuster, Maitland Tourism Manager Rachel MacLucas says what is most amazing is that they are all true.
Organisers have honed in on escapes as a marketing tool for this weekend’s two day celebration of beer at Maitland Gaol, and event goers can marvel over the daring of some the site’s past residents over a brew. “There’ll be big interpretative panels put up around the facility so people can read about some of the escapes from jail,” Ms MacLucas said. “It adds to the experience of the event. It’s about the festival experience, but it’s also about opening people up to the history and experience of the site.”
Maitland Gaol administrator Gordon Sauber, who along with researcher Steve “Mac” McLennan gathered the information, said the idea also provided a topic for another booklet in a series of publications about the site. Mr Sauber said they were looking at escapes as the basis for the jail’s second publication, following on from “Hurled Into Eternity” which recounted the 16 executions at the site. “This is the sort of stuff people are interested in, and it is similar to the material we pulled out for the executions booklet which has been very successful,” he said. “Perhaps this is the logical number two in the series as an appropriate theme and the two are linked through Patrick McNamara, who escaped before he was executed.”
Anyone who has information about escapes or any other information about the jail can contact Mr Sauber on (02) 4936 6482.
Maitland Mercury, Monday 5 October, 2009
As part of the development of Maitland Gaol’s new Research and Reading Room, copies of many digitised and microfilmed records have been obtained. With the assistance of a band of research volunteers, these documents will be used in the ongoing research work to be undertaken at the Gaol.
The documents have already been invaluable in preparing the information for the recently published booklet “Hurled Into Eternity” - the stories behind the 16 executions at Maitland Gaol.
The microfilms consist of copies of the official handwritten Entrance and Description Books covering the period 1848 to the early 1900s. They allow us to visualise what the prisoners may have looked like and certainly their background. We know that the aboriginal, Melville, the first person to be executed at Maitland Gaol, was 5 foot, 9¾ inches tall, of stout build with a pock-pitted face and was blind in the left eye. Later records are even more revealing. William Ross, executed for murder on 22nd November 1859, was 26 years old. A native of Boston in America, he arrived in Australia on the whaling ship “Kangaroo” in 1855. Of strong stature with a fresh complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes, he stood 5 foot, 6½ inches tall, was a carpenter who could read and write and was a Presbyterian. These records will, over time, be indexed giving a complete history of the Gaol’s prisoner population.
The NSW Government Architects Office has also made available digitised copies of almost 500 plans of the Gaol which reveal fascinating aspects of the site. They are on restricted access but will assist in the ongoing maintenance, conservation and understanding of the development of Maitland Gaol.
If you are interested in being involved in the ongoing research associated with Maitland Gaol and would like to volunteer to work on the archives and artefacts, please contact the Gaol on (02) 4936 6482 or email your contact details to info@maitlandgaol.com.au.
