Old Don Jail Remains Reportedly Skeletons Of 19th Century Prisoners

On Tuesday, the skeletal remains of three people were unearthed in the shadow of Toronto’s notorious old Don Jail. A day later, the archeologist leading the dig said he believes they were prisoners sent to the gallows in the late 19th century.

“Our team found five grave shafts,” Ron Williamson said a day after making the discovery. “We have now investigated three of those and have found evidence of three people in those grave shafts.”
  
It’s reported there could be as many as 10 or 11 bodies buried in what is now a parking lot between the old jail and a hospital, Williamson said. Records suggest there could be at least nine prisoners buried in the area, including a man who fatally shot the first publisher of the Globe and Mail.

“We (have a list) of nine people that we believe were hanged in the jail and interred in the yard,” Williamson said. “We have three of them exposed at this time, but we need to do more work to find how many graves we have in this cemetery area.”

The skulls sat on display as the archeological crew continued to examine the site Wednesday, and each shows signs of cranial autopsy — a common practice at the jail in that era.

“We have some confidence that we know we’re dealing with people who were hanged at the jail and buried in this area,” Williamson said.
  
The bodies’ discovery is a jackpot for the crew, who focused their dig on part of a neighbouring hospital’s redevelopment site based on archival evidence that bodies would be found. The fate of the jailhouse graveyard hasn’t been decided, though Bridgepoint Health officials say it won’t interfere with their redevelopment or their commitment to the old Don Jail’s conservation.

Bridgepoint CEO Marian Walsh added their plans took into account the possibility of a cemetery.

“We did have some archival data that told us that we had a potentially sensitive site here,” Walsh said. “The site plan took that into account and so we deliberately avoided, for example, putting a roadway through the block.”

The old Don Jail, which opened in 1864 and was closed in 1977, was the scene of more than two dozen executions before the death penalty was abolished in 1976.