♪
>> SPENDING A NIGHT BEHIND BARS
IS NOT USUALLY BUCKET LIST
MATERIAL.
BUT HERE'S SOMETHING THAT MIGHT
CHANGE YOUR MIND.
OLD JAIL INN IN ROCKVILLE.
WHAT WAS THE REAL PART-TIME JAIL
FROM 1879 TO 1998 IS NOW A PLACE
WHERE PEOPLE WILLINGLY AND
COMFORTABLY STAY THE NIGHT.
AT OLD JAIL INN, THE GUEST ROOMS
ARE THE ORIGINAL CELLS BEHIND
BARRED DOORS.
THE LOCKDOWN PANEL, THE SALLY
PORT AND THE DRUNK TANK ARE ALL
INTACT.
>> PEOPLE MOVE SPENDING TIME IN
THE JAIL, BECAUSE THE EXPERIENCE
IS LIKE NO OTHER.
I THINK YOU GET THAT FEELING
WHERE SOMEONE BAD STAYED.
AND I THINK WHAT HAPPENS IS IT
FULFILLS THAT THRILL.
CHECK, I STAYED IN A JAIL.
SO PEOPLE LIKE TO SEE THE THINGS
THAT HERE, LIKE THE PLACE THAT
THEY ATE ON AND THE CLOTHES THAT
THEY LEFT.
I GET A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LIKE
HISTORY.
THE KIND OF PEOPLE I MEET ARE
MORE ADVENTUROUS, DO NOT WANT
THE NORM.
THEY WANT THAT UNUSUAL
EXPERIENCE.
I HAVE NINE CELLS.
WE DON'T HAVE ROOMS WE CALL THEM
CELLS.
FIVE CELLS SHARE A BATHROOM.
AND FOUR CELLS SHARE ANOTHER
BATHROOM.
AND THEN THERE'S MURDERER'S ROW
WITH TWO MORE CELL.
THEY HAVE CURTAINS OR AN
ADDITIONAL DOOR FOR PRIVACY.
DEBRA SAYS THAT SHE HAS TO HAVE
FUN WITH THIS, BUT OTHER
AMENITIES HAVE TO BE TAKEN
SERIOUSLY.
>> FIRST OF ALL, IT HAS TO BE
CLEAN AND REALLY GOOD WATER
PRESSURE.
AND ALL OF THIS CONCRETE,
GRANITE AND STEEL, I CAN GIVE
YOU A BED THAT'S SO COMFY, YOU
HAVE TO COME IN AND FEEL GOOD.
YOU HAVE TO BE WELCOMED AND YOU
HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS AS AN
EXPERIENCE.
>> A WINE BAR CALLED THE DRUNK
TANK GIVES GUESTS A PEEK AT THE
ORIGINAL DRUNK TANK IN THE
BASEMENT.
WITH AN EERIE PASSAGEWAY, TO THE
DRUNK TANK.
>> IN 2009, ON A VISIT TO
ROCKVILLE, DEBORAH WENT TO THE
JAIL ON A WHIM.
>> THERE WAS A LADY HERE IN TOWN
WHO RAN THE VISITOR'S CENTER
SAID TO ME IN JEST.
SHE SAID, YOU ARE KIND OF
DIFFERENT AND YOU SHOULD SEE
THIS PROPERTY THAT WE HAVE.
IT'S RIGHT ON THE SQUARE.
SHE SAID, WHAT IS IT?
SHE SAID, IT'S AN OLD JAIL.
I SAID COOL, I NEVER HAVE BEEN
IN A JAIL IN MY LIFE.
I LEANED FORWARD AND WENT, OH,
NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS.
AND WHEN I TURNED, BECAUSE I WAS
LIKE, I'M OUTTA HERE.
THIS WOULD NEVER BE FOR ME.
I WASN'T EVEN LOOKING FOR A
BUILDING.
I TURNED AND ALL OF A SUDDEN,
IT'S THIS DOOR, AND I WAS LIKE,
OH, I'M GOING TO BUY THAT.
>> IT WAS A ROUND TOP STEEL GATE
FROM 1879 THAT LED TO THE JAIL'S
DRUNK TANK.
PLUS A MATCHING DOOR AND TWO
WINDOWS.
DEBORAH ENVISIONED THEM FOR HER
OWN HOME BACK IN ILLINOIS.
>> SO I WENT BACK TO THE
VISITORS BUREAU.
I'M JUST NOT A JAIL PERSON BUT I
WROTE A CHECK.
SHE SAID COME BACK AND SEE ME IN
THREE DAYS.
WHEN I CAME BACK, I'M LIKE, I'M
HERE TO COLLECT THE DOORS.
SHE'S LIKE AND HERE'S THE DEED.
WE DECIDED YOU CAN JUST HAVE THE
WHOLE THING.
>> THE WHOLE THING!
THE ENTIRE DECAYING JAIL.
>> I REALLY CAN'T SAY THE WORDS
BUT I WILL TELL YOU, IT WAS
TERRIBLE.
THE STENCH WAS REALLY BAD AND IT
WAS FILTHY.
AND IT HAD CLOTHES AND PAPERWORK
AND EVERYTHING.
IT WAS JUST LIKE SOMEONE WALKED
OUT OF THE MIDDLE OF THEIR DAY
AND LEFT EVERYTHING BEHIND.
>> DEBORAH THOUGHT SHE WOULD
FIND SOMEONE TO TAKE THE
BUILDING OFF HER HAND BUT THEN
SHE GOT AN IDEA.
>> I WALKED OUT OF THIS CELL AND
ALL OF A SUDDEN, I THOUGHT, AS A
KID, I HAD COME HERE TO THE
COVERED BRIDGE FESTIVAL.
THEY HAVE A LOT OF TOURISTS
HERE.
THIS WOULD BE A BED AND
BREAKFAST!
>> THE BAR DOORS AND THE GRANITE
AND THE MARBLE CELL WALLS CON BE
MOVE -- COULDN'T BE MOVED OR
REMOVED AND SHE EMBRACED THE
JAIL THEME, THE FLOOR PLAN AND
ITS FEATURES.
AFTER FOUR MONTHS OF INTENSE
CLEANUP AND 380 GALLONS OF FRESH
PAINT, THE JAIL OPENED IN 2010.
THE INN'S BUSIEST TIME IS DURING
PARK COUNTY'S INFAMOUS COVERED
BRIDGE FESTIVAL IN OCTOBER.
DEBORAH SAYS THE INN BOOKS UP
THREE YEARS IN ADVANCE.
YEAR ROUND, SHE SEES
HONEYMOONERS, BACHELORETTE
PARTIES, FAMILY REUNIONS,
GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS ALL WHO
LEAVE THEIR STORIES NOT IN A
GUEST BOOK BUT ON THE WALLS.
>> PEOPLE WOULD COME AND
HONESTLY SAY, OH, MY, THIS IS A
JAIL!
LIKE THEY WERE TELLING ME FOR
THE FIRST TIME IN THIS PROJECT,
AFTER A YEAR THAT I WAS IN JAIL.
AND I GO, YES, THAT'S WHY I
NAMED IT OLD JAIL INN.