A little Evansville history lesson about our jails. (Where no one wants to be in Evansville. Especially today). There were 3 jails before the one across the street from the Court house (in the photo), which was completed in 1891. The first being built at the town square in 1818 (location of first jail wouldve been at the locations in the photos taken in the 1920s and then present) Plans for the first jail in Vanderburgh county were adopted May 11, 1818. It was built on the east quarter of the public square, back from the street. It was twelve feet square inthe clear, and its walls were double, built of oak, and one foot apart and filled between with heavy oak timbers set on end and reaching three feet below the floor into the ground. In the style of the architecture of the times the logs were notched at the ends so as to interlock. The lower floor was double, the timbers crossing each other and passing through the inner wall and abutting against the upright oak timbers. The second floor was of heavy oak as was the ceiling above. The stairs were against the building without, and admitted to two separate apartments, one of which was a dungeon, 4 x 12 in size, with two very small iron-grated windows—a place for the vilest law offenders. The other room was twice as large, one window, 12 x 15 inches—a place for debtors. Hugh McGary built this jail for $875. It was finished February 15, 1819, and was used about ten years. It was sold in September, 1829, for $19.37 1-2. After that a ball and chain secured the culprits, who were guarded at some tavern by a deputy sheriff. On September 26, 1832, a contract for a new jailwas let, to be erected on the old site. It was finished in two months, and cost $350. It was two stories high, 18x22 feet in size, stone foundation, floors of hewn timber covered with plank, double walls with stone betweenin the lower story. The upper story had a single wall. When James Roquet built the court-house and completed it in 1855, he also built a jail, which was used for nearly forty years—up to the time the present jail was occupied which was in 1891. This structure completed in 1855 was of stone, two stories high, had sixteen cells, and a capacity of forty prisoners. A sheriffs residence was built at the same time, of brick, just in front of the jail, and faced on Third street. The present jail and sheriffs residence stands on Fourth street opposite the court house.
Posted on: Sun, 19 Oct 2014 14:30:12 +0000
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