1841 County Jail
The contract for this building was signed in 1841, but it was not completed until 1845. The accommodations for the jailer's family were in the front portion of the building with a hallway separating them from the cells. In the the rear of the downstairs were two cells constructed of large smooth cut ashlar stone. Originally, the windows had bars to keep the prisoners from escaping. Upstairs was one cell without bars on the windows for female prisoners and another cell with an iron cage, about four feet smaller in dimension than the room itself, which was used for violent or insane prisoners. At times the jail could be quite full when prisoners in-transit to penitentiaries came on the evening train and stayed overnight.
In 1899 Elkins was designated the new county seat of Randolph County, but this building remained as the official county jail until around 1920, when a new one was built in Elkins. Since then it has been used as a private residence.
To the left of the jail stood a small shop that the jailer, Isaiah Baker, used as a Saddler's shop until he moved his family away during the Civil War.
Notice the large cut stones of the cells in the rear of the building. The foundation is hand-shaped stone laid without mortar. The 9/6 window style was typical of many early Beverly buildings - these are recessed in brick with brick mold surrounds and narrow stone sills. Slightly corbeled brick frieze turns into a corbeled cornice. The brick facade is in a Flemish bond pattern on the front and five-row common bond on the sides. The entrance door has a flat-headed, divided transom.
Marker is on Walnut Street, on the right when traveling north.
Courtesy hmdb.org
