Old St. Johns County Jail
N 29° 54.484 W 081° 19.128
17R E 469224 N 3308641
The Old St. Johns County Jail, located in St. Augustine, Florida, was completed in 1891 and housed prisoners for over 60 years. It is one of the few surviving 19th century jails.
Waymark Code: WM2YV6
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/12/2008
Views: 41
Built in 1891, the St. Johns County Jail held prisoners until 1953. The previous county jail was located next to the Hotel Ponce de Leon in downtown St. Augustine, Florida. Henry Morrison Flagler (1830-1913), co-founder of the Standard Oil Company, founder of the Florida East Coast Railroad and major real estate developer, donated $10,000 towards construction of this new jail. It is the oldest surviving government building in St. Johns County. The architecture is Romanesque Revival with elements of Queen Anne Victorian. It was constructed by the Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, which would later build Alacatraz prison in California along with several other jails throughout North America. Up to 72 inmates could be housed in the building along with living quarters for the sheriff and his family. The conditions were primitive for most of its history with up to four inmates in a cell, no indoor plumbing until 1914 and open barred windows. When the last inmates were transferred out in 1953, the old jail building became a tourist attraction recreating what life was like for prisoners at the turn of the century.
Street address:
167 San Marco Avenue
St. Augustine, FL USA
32084
County / Borough / Parish: St. Johns County
Year listed: 1987
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Person, Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Government
Current function: Recreation And Culture
Privately owned?: yes
Season start / Season finish: From: 01/01/2008 To: 12/31/2008
Hours of operation: From: 8:30 AM To: 4:30 PM
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Please give the date and brief account of your visit. Include any additional observations or information that you may have, particularly about the current condition of the site. Additional photos are highly encouraged, but not mandatory.