Oconee County Jail
Encyclopedia
The old Oconee County Jail is a former jail that was located at Short Street in Walhalla, South Carolina
in Oconee County. The jail was located on the grounds of the current Oconee County Courthouse. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
on November 14, 1982 along with the Oconee County Cage
. At the time of its listing, the jail was one of the few remaining nineteenth or twentieth century jails in upper northwestern South Carolina. It was demolished around 1985. Subsequently, it was delisted on December 12, 1989.
. Male convicted prisoners were either sentenced to hard labor on the county chain gang
or sent to the state penitentiary
. In 1916, about 94% were in county chain gangs and about 6% were at the state penitentiary. In this period of racial segregation
, white
prisoners were separated from African-American prisoners.
Instead of being housed in the county jail, chain gangs were housed in cages, cars, or tents near the work site. The cages and cars could be used to also transport the convicts.
. In the next year, a contract was given to build a wooden jail. In 1901, the South Carolina General Assembly
loaned Oconee County USD $12,000 to construct a new jail and for repairs and remodeling of the county courthouse.
A new location for the jail was chosen behind Main Street between Church and Tugaloo Streets. It was completed by at least 1906. It was used by the county sheriff
and as a jail until 1978.
A report from a 1915 visit by the Board of Charities and Correction indicated that the average number of prisoners was 3.7. The white male prisoners were kept in a large room. African-American prisoners were kept in four cells. There was one room for female prisoners, but it was rarely occupied. Oconee County was one of the few in South Carolina that served three meals each day. The prisoners did practically no labor.
or Gothic Revival style. The jail was very similar to one built in Anderson County that was designed by Frank P. Milburn.
The front section contains the sheriff's office and residence. It has a hip roof
and three ells
. The facade, which faces southwest, has a gabled ell on the left with a stepped parapet
. This forward ell had a pair of one over one light windows at each level, and there was a multi-light attic window below the parapet. There was a one-story porch that extended across the front and around the left ell. This had a metal roof supported by grouped wooden columns.
There was a wing toward the right terminating in a polygonal bay with a crenellated parapet. There was a tall, stuccoed brick chimney at the junction of the main block and the bay. The bay had a one over one light window on each facet. On the right elevation, there was a one-story porch with an auxiliary entrance. Above this porch, there were three one over one lights.
On the left elevation, there were three bays with a tall, stuccoed brick chimney between the second and third bay. There was a one-story porch along the left elevation that abutted another projecting, gabled ell. The end of this ell had two one over one lights on each story and a multi-light window below a stepped parapet.
The interior of the building had an L-shaped hallway that led to the right and left elevations. There were four main rooms that had wooden floors, plaster walls and ceilings, and wooden window and door surrounds ornamented with routings.
The detention wing, added in 1939-1939 to replace the original detention wing, was a poured concrete building with a stucco finish. This had a flat roof with unadorned parapet. Metal-barred windows lit the corridors.
There was a steel door that connected the main building with the detention wing. The first floor of the detention facility has single and double cells on either side of a hallway. The second level had a large caged, bunk room with a shower and dining area.
Pictures of the jail are available.
Walhalla, South Carolina
Walhalla is a mountain city in Oconee County, South Carolina, United States. It is located from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina and is also located in the Appalachian Mountains of South Carolina. The population was 3,801 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Oconee County...
in Oconee County. The jail was located on the grounds of the current Oconee County Courthouse. It was named to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on November 14, 1982 along with the Oconee County Cage
Oconee County Cage
The Oconee County Cage is a former jail on wheels that is located at Browns Square Drive outside of the Oconee Heritage Center in Walhalla, South Carolina, USA in Oconee County. At the time of its listing, it was located on Church Street at the Oconee County Law Enforcement Center...
. At the time of its listing, the jail was one of the few remaining nineteenth or twentieth century jails in upper northwestern South Carolina. It was demolished around 1985. Subsequently, it was delisted on December 12, 1989.
County penal system in early 20th century South Carolina
In the early twentieth century, county jails were primarily for holding individuals who were awaiting trial that could not afford bailBail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
. Male convicted prisoners were either sentenced to hard labor on the county chain gang
Chain gang
A chain gang is a group of prisoners chained together to perform menial or physically challenging work, such as mining or timber collecting, as a form of punishment. Such punishment might include building roads, digging ditches or chipping stone...
or sent to the state penitentiary
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. In 1916, about 94% were in county chain gangs and about 6% were at the state penitentiary. In this period of racial segregation
Racial segregation in the United States
Racial segregation in the United States, as a general term, included the racial segregation or hypersegregation of facilities, services, and opportunities such as housing, medical care, education, employment, and transportation along racial lines...
, white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
prisoners were separated from African-American prisoners.
Instead of being housed in the county jail, chain gangs were housed in cages, cars, or tents near the work site. The cages and cars could be used to also transport the convicts.
History
Oconee County was formed in 1868 and Walhalla was made its county seatCounty seat
A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....
. In the next year, a contract was given to build a wooden jail. In 1901, the South Carolina General Assembly
South Carolina General Assembly
The South Carolina General Assembly, also called the South Carolina Legislature, is the state legislature of the U.S. state of South Carolina. The legislature is bicameral and consists of the lower South Carolina House of Representatives and the upper South Carolina Senate. Altogether, the General...
loaned Oconee County USD $12,000 to construct a new jail and for repairs and remodeling of the county courthouse.
A new location for the jail was chosen behind Main Street between Church and Tugaloo Streets. It was completed by at least 1906. It was used by the county sheriff
Sheriffs in the United States
In the United States, a sheriff is a county official and is typically the top law enforcement officer of a county. Historically, the sheriff was also commander of the militia in that county. Distinctive to law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of...
and as a jail until 1978.
A report from a 1915 visit by the Board of Charities and Correction indicated that the average number of prisoners was 3.7. The white male prisoners were kept in a large room. African-American prisoners were kept in four cells. There was one room for female prisoners, but it was rarely occupied. Oconee County was one of the few in South Carolina that served three meals each day. The prisoners did practically no labor.
Architecture
The jail was a two-story, stuccoed brick building with an asymmetrical plan. The building has been described as neomedievalMedieval architecture
Medieval architecture is a term used to represent various forms of architecture common in Medieval Europe.-Characteristics:-Religious architecture:...
or Gothic Revival style. The jail was very similar to one built in Anderson County that was designed by Frank P. Milburn.
The front section contains the sheriff's office and residence. It has a hip roof
Hip roof
A hip roof, or hipped roof, is a type of roof where all sides slope downwards to the walls, usually with a fairly gentle slope. Thus it is a house with no gables or other vertical sides to the roof. A square hip roof is shaped like a pyramid. Hip roofs on the houses could have two triangular side...
and three ells
Ell (architecture)
In architecture, an ell is a wing of a building that lies perpendicular to the length of the main portion.In connected farm architecture, the ell is often extended to attach the main house to another building, usually a barn. It takes its name from the shape of the letter L.-External links:*...
. The facade, which faces southwest, has a gabled ell on the left with a stepped parapet
Parapet
A parapet is a wall-like barrier at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony or other structure. Where extending above a roof, it may simply be the portion of an exterior wall that continues above the line of the roof surface, or may be a continuation of a vertical feature beneath the roof such as a...
. This forward ell had a pair of one over one light windows at each level, and there was a multi-light attic window below the parapet. There was a one-story porch that extended across the front and around the left ell. This had a metal roof supported by grouped wooden columns.
There was a wing toward the right terminating in a polygonal bay with a crenellated parapet. There was a tall, stuccoed brick chimney at the junction of the main block and the bay. The bay had a one over one light window on each facet. On the right elevation, there was a one-story porch with an auxiliary entrance. Above this porch, there were three one over one lights.
On the left elevation, there were three bays with a tall, stuccoed brick chimney between the second and third bay. There was a one-story porch along the left elevation that abutted another projecting, gabled ell. The end of this ell had two one over one lights on each story and a multi-light window below a stepped parapet.
The interior of the building had an L-shaped hallway that led to the right and left elevations. There were four main rooms that had wooden floors, plaster walls and ceilings, and wooden window and door surrounds ornamented with routings.
The detention wing, added in 1939-1939 to replace the original detention wing, was a poured concrete building with a stucco finish. This had a flat roof with unadorned parapet. Metal-barred windows lit the corridors.
There was a steel door that connected the main building with the detention wing. The first floor of the detention facility has single and double cells on either side of a hallway. The second level had a large caged, bunk room with a shower and dining area.
Pictures of the jail are available.