Barnesville City Jail - Banesville, MN - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

Barnesville was founded in 1874 by George S. Barnes. In 1877, James J. Hill, the railroad tycoon who built the Great Northern Railroad, completed the first track to the city and the days of being a railroad town began. Barnesville was incorporated as a city in 1889 and this building was constructed by the people of Barnesville to serve as city hall and fire station in 1899. In addition the city complex included an opera house for some big city entertainment.

After closing as the city jail the building was open as a tourist site for awhile and also served as a tourism and artisan center for a short time. The sign out front refers to the Tourist and Artisan Center.

If you visit be sure to take note of the difference in bricks used to make the jail in 1899 and the garage that was added to the complex in 1964 to house the fire departments fire engine. The jail was built with bricks that were locally formed and fired; they are no longer available.


Information from NRHP nomination form and Barnesville city web-page.

Street address: 114 Main Ave W Barnesville, MN USA 56514 County / Borough / Parish: Clay County Year listed: 1980 Historic (Areas of) Significance: The Barnesville City Hall and Jail is a good example of a municipal services complex in a small town. Periods of significance: Built: 1899, City Jail added: 1910, Fire Engine Garage added: 1964 Historic function: This section of the complex has been used as a city jail, a municipal liquor store and most recently as a tourist and artisan center Current function: Currently unused Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Secondary Website 2: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
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