Old Hamilton County Jail

In 1893, the Pauly Jail Company of St. Louis built the old Hamilton County Jail in Jasper, Florida. The building is mainly made of brick, steel, and concrete, which makes it virtually fireproof. The county jail was also home to the local sheriff and his family whose job it was to care for the inmates. Both of the sheriff’s children were born inside the building. To prevent fire hazards, the jail originally had a freestanding kitchen behind the building. A kitchen was added to the jail as part of a renovation in the 1930s. The meals for the sheriff’s family as well as the prisoners were both prepared on the same stove which remains in the jail today.

This brick and steel structure was the last prison east of the Mississippi for the last three legal hangings (as verified by actual photographs in its museum). These hanging became a public spectacle, bringing throngs of local folks to watch the primitive executions. Historians note that in the early 20th century, three people were executed here by hanging, one Caucasian man and two African Americans. Executions were not the only deaths that occurred on the grounds. Among the collected stories of past inmates are the reported suicide of a female prisoner and the deaths of several male prisoners. A female prisoner and her baby were housed for several months in the 1920s. It was alleged that the woman poisoned her husband. Due to extremely cold weather, the sheriff allowed her to leave the jail. She was never convicted but was asked to leave the county.

The Old Hamilton County Jail was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983. When the jail closed in 1984, it was the oldest operating jail in Florida. For the last several decades, it has served as home to the Hamilton County Historical Society. This property is so well known for its haunts, that the NRHP’s nomination form mentions that the building has a haunted reputation within the local folklore. The jail, per many witnesses and paranormal investigators, is haunted by the ghosts of its former residents. Staff all agree that the old jail is haunted because of the hangings that took place there, as well as the reported violence that occurred within the jail cells. Paranormal investigators have been combing over the building for years looking for evidence of paranormal activity, capturing things like cell doors slamming, lights flickering, and even full-bodied apparitions. Some of these encounters have been documented in newspapers, such as shadow figures, voices, and footsteps. Today, the old county jail remains closed to the public and under renovation with hopes of reopening for tours in the future.

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