After being shuttered to the public, the aged, barred corridors once again rang with footsteps and stories of the past as the Old Sheriff’s House and Jail re-opened Saturday for the first time this year.
Long-standing supporters and first-time attendees alike converged at 226 S. Main Street in downtown Crown Point to be among the first to be welcomed in the old jail’s doors. Historical tours ran through the morning to afternoon, with more than 40 attendants.
“We’re still worried but hopeful,” Jacquie Thompson, vice president of the Old Sheriff’s House Foundation, said. “Just to be able to put the open sign up today felt amazing. But I’m also nervous about what will happen next. The state could still shut us down.”
In October 2023, the state gave notice of the building violation code that forced the jail to close its doors to the public until it is re-zoned as a museum/arts and entertainment venue. Until now, the building has been zoned as a jail, though it has hosted historical and paranormal tours for the last 20 years.
The organization’s lawyer negotiated with the state to grant them the ability to open to the public as the decision remained up in the air, according to Old Sheriff’s House Foundation President Sandy Boyd.
The decision is expected to come down on Tuesday, when the State of Indiana Fire Prevention and Building Safety Commission will rule whether to approve or deny a variance that would allow the historic site to re-open with its new zoning.
“They could deny the variance and give us things we have to do before we are able to open,” Sandy Boyd said. “So, they could shut us down again. This is the change of occupancy issue. We have to ask to be grandfathered in. To be rezoned as a museum, you need to meet certain safety code requirements, but due to the historic nature of the building, it’s over 100 years old, we just can’t comply with everything they want. So we need them to grant us that variance to move forward.”
The Old Sheriff’s House Foundation code consultant will represent their interests at the meeting in Indianapolis and board members plan to attend via video call.
“My biggest fear is that the jail will close completely — this is my second home” said Kristy Boyd, volunteer and daughter-in-law to Sandy Boyd. “This is personal to me. I fell in love with my husband here, it’s where we got engaged and it’s where we were married. I wouldn’t have my son, my life now, if it weren’t for this place.”
The love story began when Kristy Boyd began volunteering in 2011 after attending a paranormal investigation. From there she met Randy Boyd, who ended up proposing to her in 2015 on Halloween night dressed as a scary clown for “Criminally Insane.” Their wedding was held on the second floor of the jail. They volunteer together at the jail to this day.
Sandy Boyd said through this process, she has been encouraged by the support from the community.
“The City of Crown Point is pleased to hear about the reopening of the Old Sheriff’s House and Jail,” Crown Point Mayor Pete Land said. “Sandy and her team have a lot of passion and put a lot of time and effort into maintaining the history of the jail.”
On Saturday, several people donated money to the Old Sheriff’s House Foundation, hoping to make up for some of the funds lost from being closed most of the season. Local paranormal organizations were among the first-day attendees to show up in numbers.
“There hasn’t been any money coming in, so we wanted to help out,” said Brian Greer, director of the Regional Investigators of the Paranormal and assistant director of Northwest Indiana Paranormal. “We like to volunteer and donate our money and time. So it’s more than just chasing ghosts. It’s about helping the community.”
Sandy Boyd said if all goes well in the Tuesday meeting, they will continue with their plans to offer historic tours 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday until Sept 14. She also hopes to add twilight tours and paranormal investigations to the roster. As of now, the annual haunted house attraction “Criminally Insane” is still slated for the Halloween season.
“Even for people who’ve been here before, we are always updating and changing tours as we learn new things,” said Denise Gundelach, board treasurer and tour guide. “I love history and finding out new things, so it really is a work in progress. There’s always something new to learn.”
Anna Ortiz is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
