Old Bridgeport Jail

Built in 1883, The “impregnable” jail boasted the use of stones two feet squared by as long as five feet for the walls.

This jail contains four spacious cells. Plans for this stone wall jail were swiftly carried out nearly a year after an inmate burned down the old wooded jail. The jail was burned down as an escape plan of an inmate. The old wooden jail was moved from Bodie in April 1881.

The intermittent jail, housing the fire’s two surviving iron cells became the attached quarters for the Sheriff and his family, costing $5,750 in gold coin.

In less than a year’s use, the great jail suffered its first escaped prisoner. This was cause for concern except it was found that the Sheriff had not locked his cell whereby he crawled out a window and over a door.

Over the years, the jail won a reputation as having the best meal in the county, quipped “County Bar Hotel.”