Museum of Wayne County

The Museum of Wayne County (Finger Lakes region/Wayne County) has a split personality of sorts. Set in an 1850s house, the two-story museum and large backyard barn are filled with amazing artifacts that show how people lived a hundred years ago. The Lyons, NY museum is truly worth the visit and gives visitors an intimate immersion with the past. History buffs will love this place.

This is where things get a little darker…

Attached to the museum is the former county jail, which has been out of commission for decades. The two-story slammer looks exactly like it did back in the day. Walking into the cell block has a heavy feel to it. The cells are cramped and claustrophobic, making it not a nice place to stay. In 1860, a man named William Fee was hanged in the cell block for a crime he may…or may not have committed. On that fateful day, a crowd of several thousand gathered outside the cell block to participate in the spectacle. Could the ghostly presence be William Fee proclaiming his innocence or here to haunt Lyons forever?

The delightful executive director of the museum, Larry Ann Evans says she sometimes gets pretty creeped out – proclaiming never to be at the museum alone at night. She leaves the ghost stuff up to the experts. Local ghost hunter groups have captured enough evidence to keep coming back. People can get in on the action, as the museum hosts a few events each year.