Franklin County Jail - Benton, Illinois
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 37° 59.809 W 088° 55.338
16S E 331212 N 4207205
Historic former county jail now history museum in Benton, Illinois.
Waymark Code: WM6HD1
Location: Illinois, United States
Date Posted: 06/06/2009
Views: 12
Construction began on the Franklin County Jail in 1905 and was nearly completion by June, 1906, however at that time it did not include plumbing, sewage, heating and Electice. These were completed by June 1907. The jail was used until 1990 to hold county and Federal prioners.
The jail was designed by architect Joseph W. Royer of Urbana, Illinois and constructed by Rudolph Z Gill of Urana, Illinois. The brick building was of two parts, the front part was the residential portion used as a house for the county sheriff and family, the back portion had the cells on two stories.
The grounds for jail was the site of the last public hanging in Illinois when on April 19, 1928, local gangster Charles Birger was executed on the gallows next to the county jail for the December 12, 1926 for the murder of Joe Adams, mayor of nearby West City, Illinois.
After the jail was closed in 1990 after a new jail was constructed it was converted to a history museum and headquarters for the Franklin County Tourism Bureau.