“GUESTS OF THE COUNTY” 

A Brief History of the  Historic 1884 Jail

By Chris Worick         Presented February 2018 

As early as the 1870s, the need for a new county jail was recognized. The previous jail doubled as the town calaboose, and was the only building used to confine prisoners in Dahlonega and Lumpkin County. 

 In 1883, the county started planning a new jail based on an 1874 patent for “Improvements in Jails” by Cook and Heath. Dahlonega city official Frank Hall helped design the jail to mirror the Italianate style of Hall’s Block. 

 Completed in 1884 at a cost of $7,357.60, the new jail not only housed prisoners, but also served as living quarters for the sheriff and his family. With a brick exterior, the two-story building has large rectangular windows on both floors that allow ample sunlight to illuminate the interior. Bars on the second floor windows indicate the building’s intended use. Decorative cornices and a cupola on the roof are Italianate features.  

For the next 80 years, the jail would host an untold number of guests on behalf of the county, some on a repeat basis. It underwent modifications and additions over the years, but the basic layout has not changed. The cell block was constructed with state-of-the-art overlapping levels of security.  

The first level of security is at the entrance at the bottom of the stairwell. Bars and a locked door restrict access to the downstairs. The second level of security is that the cell block on the second floor. Bars on the exterior windows allow them to be opened for fresh air and sunlight while making it difficult for a prisoner to escape. The third level of security is the “run-around.” This outer walkway allowed prisoners to exercise while confined to the upstairs area. It also provided a way for the jailer to keep an eye on prisoners inside their cells through thick iron gratings. 

A series of manually controlled handles open and close the interior cell block doors from outside of the heavy two-inch thick cast iron door that provides access to the cells from the run-around. For meals, a small pass through opening is incorporated into the door which allowed the door itself to remain locked while food was passed through.  

The fourth level of security is the construction of the cell block walls. They were constructed by overlapping and crisscrossing layers of horizontal pine boards reinforced with vertical nails spaced every 1-2 inches. Chinking and plaster give the walls a smooth finish. The cells themselves were the last layer of security. Four cells are located inside the cell block with a riveted strap iron door to each one that could be individually locked.  

Living conditions  

A potbelly stove provided heat for the cell block. The exterior windows may have been opened for ventilation during hot weather. Before the 20th century, prisoners went to the bathroom in chamber pots and washed in a bucket of water. They slept on steel framed bunk beds and army surplus cots. Meals were prepared by the sheriff’s wife if he was married. Women were held in a separate cell in the run around. Marks on the floor where the bars and door used to be can still be seen. Graffiti on the walls is original, and reflects what some of the inmates had on their minds. 

Who was confined in the jail?  

There is no accurate number of how many prisoners have passed through the big iron door, but typically they were local men and women for offenses ranging from drunk and disorderly to moonshining, theft, assault, and even murder. A few of the more unusual or notorious prisoners were: “Polly, the Wild Man” in 1903; train robber Bill Miner (aka The Gray Fox); notorious Tess Owens, the safe crackers who tried to rob the bank in 1913; Charlie the “Red Devil” Tolbert; and Brock Elrod a grave robber in 1925. 

Were any prisoners ever executed here?  

No. There have been no public executions in Lumpkin County since 1844. Persons convicted of high crimes were sent to the state penitentiary in Milledgeville. The cupola on the roof of the building is a decorative feature used for ventilation rather than a gallows as some have claimed.  

Did any prisoners die in the jail?  

We are not aware of any doing so.  

Have any prisoners ever escaped?  

Several unconfirmed stories have circulated over the years about a few prisoners who managed to escape. One tells of a skinny guy who somehow managed to escape by squeezing through some bars. Another case describes a fellow who escaped only to run home and tell his wife that he wouldn’t be home for supper. He then returned to the jail.