The previous evening I had dug out my History of Clarion County and read up on this unloved and unlovely building that sits so prominently behind the courthouse. I knew that the tours today were not given just for the fun of it. No, this was a way for the Commissioners to gauge public sentiment toward the old building. Some people are in favor of tearing it down altogether. For instance, the 911 director, I hear, wants to run the machine that sends the first wrecking ball crashing into the old structure. Others think that this, the oldest public building in Clarion County, deserves better from the people it has served for so long. To them, New York has its Empire State, St. Louis has its Arch, Washington has its Capitol and Washington Monument, and Clarion has its Courthouse and Jail. These two structures are not just part of Clarion, but are Clarion to many people. Of course, others don't see it that way. There are middle-of-the-roaders, too. People who would gut or replace the interior, but leaving the exterior much as it is. I see the appeal of all of these opinions, but when asked point blank what I would do, my best answer was a mumbled, "I'm not sure."
   That evening I got on the Internet and looked at the unflattering pictures of the jail on the county's website. Then I set my browser to search for the phrase "renovated jail" and had a look at what others have done when faced with a similarly decaying historic jail. As expected, I got lots of  hits. Here was a jail in Arkansas that was now a bed-and-breakfast (thank you, no thank you!)  Another was being eyed as a prospect for conversion to condos (seemed unlikely here.) One had been converted into a museum dealing with mermaids and their folklore (hmm, but maybe not mermaids!)
   Then I found a page about an old jail in Amherst, Virginia that the commissioners had just voted to destroy. Just like ours, something had had to be done, and groups had formed to oppose destruction. But these groups turned out to be all talk and no action, and the commissioners finally seemed to have become so frustrated that demolition was the least complicated option. I was profoundly shocked at the article, and thought how little I would like to read a similar one about our jail. So, what to do? What to do? Back to the net…
   Here was something a little better… The James Michener Art Museum in Doylestown is located in the renovated Bucks County Prison. That sounds good, but expensive, and who exactly is Clarion's most famous son or daughter? I clicked on a related link that led to the Mercer Museum across the street. This turned out to be a strange collection of everyday objects accumulated by Henry Mercer in the early 1900's. Now world famous, the museum attracted over 50000 visitors in 1995. Hmm. Continuing with the jail links I found that the Yellowstone County Jail (Montana) houses a museum of regional contemporary and historic art, the Cochise County Jail (Arizona) is now an inn with gourmet dining. Knox County Jail (Illinois) houses seminar classrooms and faculty office for Knox College. Here was the old jail in Cobbham, Georgia that has been renovated and reopened as an institute whose mission is "helping communities develop proactive strategies for a healthy environment through technical and legal assistance." There is a mouthful!
   That was about it for "renovated jail", so I started looking at museums. Historical societies in every county seat have their museums, but there is not much in them to draw a crowd. The Smithsonian in DC draws a crowd and has for a hundred years, but they deal in 'firsts' and no local museum could do that. Still, I liked the nickname --- ' the nation's attic.'  I checked out the Louvre, the British Museum and various art museums, including the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. I smiled as I remembered Warhol's habit of buying dozens of knick-knacks in various colors, and how these are now displayed as "popular art". By now it was late, and, feeling somewhat dissatisfied, I gave it up for the night and took me off to bed.
   Did you ever fill your head with facts about an unsolved problem and wake up to find the solution clear in your mind?  Did you ever wake up and remember a dream that was oh-so silly, but had seemed oh-so real in dream-time? I woke up the next morning grinning. The dream I had had was either silly or profound, but it had sure been interesting.