Kurt Siegelin went to jail the other day. No, not for something he did–he’s much too nice a guy. As the morning anchor of News12 New Jersey, the Verona resident got a look inside the last days of the Essex County Penitentiary. That’s the giant Victorian pile of stone on the hill behind the turf field at the Verona Community Center.
The penitentiary was closed eight years ago and it’s going to the wrecking ball soon, to make way for the second phase of K. Hovnanian’s residential development on the edges of the Hilltop Reservation. Begun in 1862 as a lock-up for confederate prisoners after the Civil War, it might not be everybody’s idea of a landmark, but it has been a part of Verona’s landscape for a very long time.
You can watch the video here.
Mr. Siegelin, you are the best news male anchor on News 12 New Jersey. You and Ms. Lawson are the best 2011 news anchors on the morning side of News 12 New Jersey. I hope to see you both on the air when 2012 arrives. Thank You!