Carrolton, KENTUCKY - Old Carroll County Jail

Description: Carrolton, KENTUCKY - Old Carroll County Jail: In 1794, Carrollton was established and originally named Port William. Port William was the county seat for Gallatin County. In 1838, the state legislature divided Gallatin County due to the largeness of the county. Port William was renamed Carrollton and became the county seat of the newly formed Carroll County. The former jail had experienced several breakouts and was condemned on January 2, 1877. It was ordered that a new jail be built and a tax of 10 cents per $100.00 property valuation was levied to raise funds. Enough money was raised by January of 1897 to start the jail project. The stone for the jail came from a quarry in Louisville and was brought up the Ohio River by boat. The steamboat bringing a load of stone was stuck on a sandbar in the river, (this was before the river was kept at pool stage by locks and dams as it is now) and the boat had to stay on the sandbar and wait for the fall rains to bring the water level high enough to float it off the bar (three weeks). The Old Stone Jail is a 22'x20' two story structure. The walls of the jail are constructed of solid 16'x20' limestone slabs. Windows or light openings average 3 1/4 in width. Door widths measure 19 1/2 x 20 1/2. All interior surfaces of the stone have a rough hammer finish leaving an uneven surface. The ground level was used for men. There were four interior cells of equal size with a perimeter walkway. A pot-bellied stove was the sole source of heat. The openings in the walls did not have glass in them while the jail was in use. There were shutters that were hung during inclement weather from cork posts in the walls. The upper level was used for women and children and was identical to that of the ground level. The under-ground level was used for solitary confinement. The prisoner was shackled in by their limbs and sat on the dry laid brick floor. The jail was in use for almost ninety years, until the late 1960's when the jail was deemed inadequate to meet Kentucky prison standards built in 1880 and used until 1969]. This Photochromatic postcard, published in 1946, is in good condition, but there is edge wear. Genuine Curteich-Chicago. “C.T. Photo Finish”. No. 8B636.

Price: 8.5 USD

Location: Brooklyn, New York

End Time: 2025-01-10T01:08:14.000Z

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