This was one of the only buildings that survived the fire that the Union set in 1983. This building served as a jail from 1860-1960. It was closed due to the many complaints about the condition of the jail. The jail not only housed prisoners but also the sheriff and his family. It was not a large building and even from the outside I could not imagine it being being both a jail and a home. The curator led me to the side of the building where we entered the jail. He said that just next to the jail was where the kitchen had been located, separate from the building.
This was the living room. I was told that all the furniture was donated and used to recreate what each room would have looked like in the 18th century. The furnishings were all antiques. The photos were of sheriffs. The wooden frame over the fireplace was actually made by an inmate and given to the sheriff as a gift.
The two bedrooms were on the second floor and we had to use a very steep and narrow staircase to get to the second level.
This is a photo of Fred and Sephronia Dawes. He was killed in 1919 and his wife became the first woman sheriff in Missouri.
This is the men's jail. The women's section was on the second floor.
Nasty, nasty conditions.
The sheriff's wife was responsible for feeding the prisoners. These are what were used to serve the food to the prisoners.
Here were some of her cooking utensils.
There was one toilet since removed and one sink to be shared by all prisoners.
This is the doorway into the jail. You would enter the jail from the side of the house. I was surprised how short and narrow the door was.
This is a photo of the women's jail upstairs. It was much nicer then the men's. The museum was now air conditioned and I couldn't imagine being confined there in the summer heat. It would have been brutal.
I really enjoyed stepping back in time and when Rocketman saw all my pictures he was so jealous that he was not able to visit with me. There is always next time.
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