County Commission minutes items of interest

Old Jail and court house

I think this may be the first Court House built                I am sure this is the old Taylor County Jail           I think this is the second Court

sometime after 1870.                                                              later to become the Perry City Hall                         House built around 1890

August 16th 1869

It is ordered the 18th day of September an election be held for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not the County is willing to be taxed to build a jail.

Minutes of Commissioners Court

April 2, 1870

Ordered that the President of the Board on County Commissioners be empowered to negotiate a loan not to exceed two thousand dollars and the President and Clerk be authorized to issue Bonds of Taylor County for said amount as follows, one thousand dollars payable three years after date of issue and one thousand dollars payable five years after date of issue with 8% interest for the purpose of building a Court House and Jail and in the event the loan amount cannot be obtained endeavor to get the work done for the Bonds or sell the Bonds or sell the Bonds also that the President of the Board have plans of said building drawn and estimate of cost made and advertise for sealed proposals for the building of said house and on such day as the President and Clerk shall designate said proposals be opened and the job awarded to the lowest responsible bidder if not too high over the estimate and that the President or Clerk furnish plans or explanation to applicants so that they can form their estimate thereon the person or persons to whom the job is awarded shall give bond and security for the faithful performance on a workman like manner of the job.

[ I can't find the minutes that talked about actually building the court house and jail. ]

At a regular meeting of the Board of County Commissioners held in the town of Perry on the first day of September AD 1890. Present James H. Jackson, Chairman, W. W. Whiddon, A. J. Wright, M. A. Cockcroft and J. E. English.

The subject of building a new court house was taken up and after considering the matter it was ordered that T. J. Faulkner, D. M. Guarnto and John C. Calhoun be appointed a committee to draft a plan and calculate the cost of the court house and to report the same at the next meeting of the board.

[ I know that this court house was built ]

In November 1910, a communication from the Governor calling attention of the board to the condition of the old jail as reported by a State Inspector and of certain prisoners letter was read and thereupon the board visited the jail in a body and the Clerk was directed to write the Governor that the board admits that the old Taylor County Jail is in bad shape so much so that Taylor County has seen fit to send its prisoners to Madison County for safe keeping until the new jail now being built is completed.

[ The old County Jail was abandoned by the county and the Town of Perry bought the building and tore it down and built a Town Hall on the site ]

On the 17th day of July, A.D. 1911, The Taylor County Board of County Commissioners sold the old Jail to the Town of Perry for the sum of twelve hundred dollars. It is located on Lot 3 of block 56 of the J. C. Curls addition(north) to the Town of Perry, Florida, being One hundred, Fifteen and one half feet square, and being the lot upon which the old jail in Perry, Florida, is situated.