The Old Nassau County Jail
Posted by: 
Markerman62
N 30° 40.059 W 081° 27.815
17R E 455590 N 3392861
Located at 233 S 3rd St, Fernandina Beach
Waymark Code: WM12X2F
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 07/29/2020
Views: 6
The Old Nassau County Jail has occupied several buildings on this site from 1878 through 1978. In 1868, the Nassau County Board of County Commissioners began the process of creating a stand-alone jail, and in 1871, the deed for this property was signed by former Senator David Yulee. Built in 1878, the first jailhouse started as a single-story, wood-frame structure, and was expanded to two stories by 1884. A new jail building was constructed on this site circa 1891, but was replaced in 1938 with this two-story masonry building. Designed in the Moderne style, it featured improved jail cells, plumbing, and cots. A 1954 addition nearly doubled the jail's size, and included a desk clerk's office, guest rooms, lockers, and showers. Four cells and two day-rooms for inmates were located on the first floor, and six cells on the second. There were separate areas for men and women, and for black and white inmates during segregation. In 1978, a new Nassau County jail was built in Yulee, and the county deeded this building to an early version of the Amelia Island Museum of History the following year. The building was extensively renovated in 2003 and 2007, and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009.
Marker Number: F-1080
Date: 2019
County: Nassau
Marker Type: City
Sponsored or placed by: The Amelia Island Museum of History in memory of Thomas M. Raymond, and the Florida Department of State
Website: Not listed
|
Visit Instructions:
In your log, please say if you learned something new, and if you took any extra time to explore the area once you stopped at the historic marker waymark.
Please post a photo at the marker location.