The Washington County Jail was placed under quarantine on this day in 1904. Dr. William Lindsey, the health officer, declared a prisoner had contracted diptheria.

Diptheria epidemics had caused deaths throughout Europe and the United States in the late 1800s. Twenty-one prisoners had been exposed and Sheriff Evans wasn’t taking any chances.

Since it was impossible to partition sections of the jail effectively, prisoners jailed for mild offenses couldn’t leave and no new prisoners could be accepted.

Questions also arose as to how a confined prisoner had contracted such a contagious disease.

Photo courtesy the Vermont Historical Society. A special thanks to the Washington County Sheriff's Department as well.