The "Old Jail" and the former Sheriff's residence were named to the National Register of Historic Places June 23, 1976. They are the home to the many historical treasures, period furniture, and exhibits belonging to the Historical Society of Porter County.
This is the first prison in Canada to reflect the principles of John Howard, a British reformer who believed that cellular confinement, work, and education could rehabilitate criminals. With the completion of a new prison in 1861, the building was sold to Dr. Joseph Morrin and converted for use as an anglophone junior college by the architect Joseph-Ferdinand Peachy.