County of jail: Chariton County
Loction of jail: Cherry St. (US 24), next to county courthouse, Keytesville
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The Chariton County Jail and Sheriff's Residence, is a two and a half story, red brick, building with Queen Anne detailing and affinities.
Its brick walls of the building are laid in a common bond pattern, while the foundation is sandstone. Its high hipped roof with lower cross gables is finished with slate shingles, the chimney is brick, and all decorative elements, cornices, porches, and window frames are wood. Bays project on the east and south elevations, and the two main entrances-into the sheriff's living quarters and his office-are
sheltered by small, hipped roof porches. Constructed in the style of the comfortable residence of a small town entrepreneur, the building's official function was initially betrayed only by the large, two story cell block on the rear, or west elevation. In 1970, the jail was expanded with a one story block addition on the north elevation of the cell block. Despite this addition, the original building remains largely unaltered and retains its essential integrity of design, materials, and workmanship.
The facade, or eastern elevation, of the Chariton County Jail and Sheriff's Residence faces Cherry Street and the Chariton County Courthouse. This elevation is dominated by a projecting gable
on the north end of the elevation; hipped roof porches shelter the entrances on this elevation to the sheriff's living quarters and, on the east elevation of the south projecting bay, the sheriff's office.1
Large, single, one-over-one windows are centered on each level of the east projecting bay, while a smaller single window is centered in the shingled gable end of the bay; a concrete lintel is set above
the first floor window, as well as above all first floor windows on the original building. A single two-over-two window is located to the south of the entrance to the sheriff's living quarters, while two similar windows are symmetrically placed above the porch which covers the entrance; wrought iron posts support this larger porch, while the smaller porch over the entrance to the office retains a turned post
and balustrade.
On the south elevation, set close to the projecting bay there are single two-over-two windows in the main block of the building on each level. On the south projecting bay, a single large one-over-one
window is centered on the first floor, while the two-over-two window above is located in the west half of
the second floor; the windows in this bay are barred, reflecting later use of the residence as cells. On the north elevation of the original building, there are four sets of asymmetrically placed windows on each level. The second window to the west on each level is a smaller, one-over-one sash. The larger windows are each two-over-two.
The rear, or west, elevation is dominated by the two story, rectangular cell block. Covered by a hipped roof, the cell block is slightly recessed on both its north and south ends and is seated slightly lower than the front portion of the building which housed the sheriff's residence. The cell block lacks the Victorian embellishments which distinguish the residential portion of the building and all windows are barred. On its south elevation, three windows asymmetrically arranged pierce each level. A single
window is centered on each level on the west elevation. On the north elevation, a one story block addition obscures the first level; two windows are asymmetrically placed on the second level. The block addition, added to 1970 to house a kitchen, extends north beyond the original block of the building and, on its north elevation, is entered by two doors, one at ground level on the east end of the
elevation-this provides access to the basement--and the second centered in the elevation and reached by two sets of concrete steps; a single one-over-one aluminum window is located in the western third of this elevation. On the west elevation of the addition, a single window is placed.
The sheriff's office and cell areas comprise the two floors on the southern and western sides of the building. In this layout the sheriff's office and maximum security areas are on the first floor. An exterior door on the east is the only original entrance to the sheriff's office int he jail area. Said maximum security area was originally designed as a "pen" with four six foot six inch square cells surrounded by a perimeter and central walk-way. The second floor of this jail area layout consists of a large trustees
room and a smaller women's/juvenile's cell area. Access to this second floor jail area is gained via an iron staircase original to the building, (12 steps with 8 inch rise and 8 inch run) along the north wall of the sheriff's office. All doors, window bars, and cell walls in the jail areas are solid iron, and all interior
walls are one foot thick brick.
The adjoining two story sheriff's residence is situated on the eastern and northern sides of the jail building proper, and is only separated from the jail area by one foot thick brick walls. The sheriff's residence was originally only entered through an exterior door ont he east. The first floor of the sheriff's residence consists of three rooms: kitchen, dining room, and living room ( a short, narrow hall connects the kitchen and dining room). A staircase from the living room leads to the three bedrooms upstairs. The sheriff's residence area still retains its' original yellow pine hardwood flooring, windows, raised-panel doors, pocket doors, and five inch wide yellow pine molding. There is a full basement under the sheriff's residence. Access to the basement is gained via a staircase from the kitchen. The basement consists of two large rooms divided by a one foot thick brick wall with an arched doorway. There are three small basement windows - one on each of the southern, eastern, and northern sides.
In 1970 a concrete block room addition was constructed on the northwest corner of the jail building proper. Its rear exterior western wall is flush with the exterior western wall of the jail building; it also uses the original exterior northern brick wall of the maximum security area as its' southern wall. This addition serves as the prison kitchen and has two exterior doors - one on the west and one on the north. The addition also access to the sheriff's kitchen via a door between the two rooms.
The Chariton County Jail and Sheriff's Residence was designed to serve two purposes in one building - house prisoners and provide shelter for the current sheriff. The building was used to serve these functions from the time of its construction in 1907 until the early 1970s when the sheriff chose to no longer reside in the building. Thus, beginning in the 1970s and continuing until 1996 when the Chariton County Court completed construction on the new Chariton County jail, the sheriff's residence and basement were utilized by the jail for the extra space they could provide to house more prisoners.
Interior alterations to the original building on the first floor that were made beginning in the 1970's and that can be seen today include two doorways cut between the original sheriff's office and the original sheriff's kitchen and living room. Also the sheriff's kitchen was converted to a visitor area, and in the
first floor cell block the northern perimeter walk-way was converted into a shower and the two northern cells and the southwestern cell and center walk-way were opened to each other and the northern walk-way and the sliding bar doors along this center walk-way were replaced with sheet metal. The southeast window in the first floor cell was closed and a television shelf was placed over it." ~ NRHP nomination form