The phrase "truth is stranger than fiction" comes to mind when learning the history of the tiny two-cell jailhouse in Harvard, Nebraska. It all started with a government mistake and ended with an act of altruism by a famous dummy...and we haven't even touched on the weirdest part yet.
Harvard, in Clay County, is a small railroad town not unlike dozens of others in the area. Life is pretty quiet there, but in the midst of WWII the nation's eyes turned to a rather odd (and hilarious) situation that unfolded there.
In 1943, 16-year-old Robert Pinckney, the son of the local doctor, was scouring the town for lots on which to plant victory gardens. He noticed that the town jail was listed among the properties for sale, which was clearly a mistake. Being the good-natured boy that he was, Pinckney pointed out the error to the city council.
The council members laughed at Pinckney and refused to admit that they'd made a mistake. The boy, seeing a rare opportunity, purchased the jailhouse for $1.50. The sale was legal and Pinckney was given the deed, but the town still refused to acknowledge their mistake. They continued to house criminals in the little jail that was no longer city property.
Not one to be taken advantage of, the lad hired an attorney to sue the city for rent. While Harvard did eventually agree to pay rent, they tacked on some rather petty conditions, including that the teenage landlord would have to remove the sidewalk leading up to the building.
Still, the city was not eager to admit its mistake and attempted to keep the whole affair hush-hush. The legal battle, however, attracted national attention and earned the city a brief moment of notoriety as Time and other news outlets covered the weird story. Pinckney offered to sell the jail back to the city of Harvard, but there was one final bizarre legal roadblock: apparently at 16, he was old enough to purchase property, but not to sell it. Pinckney would have to wait until he was 21 to sell his jail.
Leave it to Hollywood to find a loophole. It was suggested that Pinckney put the property up for sale at a war bonds auction, which he promptly did. The jail was purchased by none other than Charlie McCarthy, the well-known dummy of ventriloquist Edgar Bergen. It cost the wooden fellow $10,000 in war bonds.
After all of the media attention died down and the joke was getting a little old, Charlie McCarthy donated the jail back to the city of Harvard. It still stands there today bearing a historical marker that outlines its very odd history. You can visit the jail and read the historical marker at 151-185 W Oak St, Harvard, NE.
Did you know about the Harvard jail's very strange history? If you can't get enough of Nebraska's oddest moments, check out this story from the archives regarding a senseless crime committed not too far from Harvard.
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