Federal Jail - Guthrie, OK
Posted by: 
hamquilter
N 35° 52.810 W 097° 25.629
14S E 641977 N 3971799
The old Federal Jail is more commonly known locally as the Black Jail. The building is vacant and not in use at this time.
Waymark Code: WMDJYX
Location: Oklahoma, United States
Date Posted: 01/22/2012
Views: 6
The old Federal Jail, corner of Warner Avenue and Second Street, was built as a private investment and rented to the government. It has been remodeled and is used by the Nazarenes as a church building. (A Guide to the Sooner State, 1941)
Located on the north side of the downtown area of Guthrie, this building named by inmates "Black Jail" was constructed with 19-inch thick walls of dark limestone and brick. The original jail was a stone two-story building with a flat roof. The main entrance was on the second floor of the west wall. An outside set of stairs led to a metal cage built outside that entrance. This federal prison was the first of its kind in the Territory.
Thought to be non-escapable when built in 1892, this was disproven when a group of 14 inmates did escape in July of 1896 -- a group that included the infamous Bill Doolin.
The prison closed in the early 1900s. The building was later occupied by a religious group who used the building as a church until the 1970's. During this time, the building was expanded, with the east side having a gabled roof constructed over an arched double-doorway, and the building stuccoed. The building was later occupied by the Samaritan Foundation, a religious cult often associated with murder, scandal and conspiracy, and said to have members who were government activists and radicals. This group vacated the premises in 1995.
The Department of Human Services officially closed the building in the late 1990s when the building was declared to be unfit for the children and families living there. A project to restore the building is underway, but progressing slowly over the years, due to lack of funding. The building is said to be haunted and has been investigated by paranormal organizations.
The Guide to the Sooner State describes the building as being at 2nd and Warner, however, it is located at 2nd and Noble.