Appomattox Court House National Historical Park Ruins - Old County Jail

Old County Jail

The first municipal structure the county officials wanted soon after the newly formed Appomattox County was official was a new county jail, not a new courthouse. The original wooden jail built in 1845 was placed behind the courthouse on the north side of the Richmond-Lynchburg stage road. The "old" jail burned down around 1866 to 1867. It was replaced by the New County Jail, a brick jail, that was already in construction from 1860. The "new" jail was finished in 1867, but not used until 1870. The size of the "old" jail was about 40 feet (12 m) wide by 18+1⁄2 feet (5.6 m) deep. The only parts left to the ruin are four corner brick foundation remains. A marker at the site reads:

COUNTY JAIL - The county jail in 1865 stood just beyond this marker. Shortly after the war it burned. The jail across the road replaced it in 1870.

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