The first Kosciusko County Jail was built in 1837 of square logs. It was two stories tall with a trap door from the second story floor to access the ground floor. The next jail was made of brick. Like the first jail, it was located on

Courthouse Square Courthouse Square is a backlot located at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California. The set is composed of several facades that form an archetypal United States, American town square with a courthouse as its centerpiece. The set wa ...

. By 1869 this second structure was in serious need of repair. ''Note:'' This includes and Accompanying photographs. Frequent jail breaks from the second jail, led the county to hire George Garnsey of Chicago to design a new jail. The most notable jailbreak resulted when prisoners pushed bricks out of the wall. The "Castellated Gothic" design represents the late 1800s American jail design standards. The massive, rough stone blocks suggest a feeling of strength and permanence. Narrow windows and second story main entrance imply the restrictive function of the structure. To stop future jailbreaks, iron dowel rods pierced the stone blocks. This would prevent the stones from being pushed out. The jail was completed in 1870, one block east of the courthouse square. The cost was $48,000, and the builder was Richard Epperson. The second story contained the sheriff's residence. Thus the sheriff was always on duty and acted as a live-in warden. The most notable prisoners held were several Culver bank robbers who were defended in Warsaw by

Clarence Darrow Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of t ...

. Later they would be involved in the

John Dillinger John Herbert Dillinger (June 22, 1903 – July 22, 1934) was an American gangster during the Great Depression. He led the Dillinger Gang, which was accused of robbing 24 banks and four police stations. Dillinger was imprisoned several times and ...

escape in

Lake County, Indiana Lake County is a county located in the U.S. state of Indiana. In 2020, its population was 498,700, making it Indiana's second-most populous county. The county seat is Crown Point. The county is part of Northwest Indiana and the Chicago metropo ...

Design

Architect George Garnsey said that the Jail was constructed in a style known as Rock Glace. The building's appearance is of a small castle, with a

turret Turret may refer to: * Turret (architecture), a small tower that projects above the wall of a building * Gun turret, a mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon * Objective turret, an indexable holder of multiple lenses in an optical microscope * Mi ...

fenestration Fenestration may refer to: * Fenestration (architecture), the design, construction, or presence of openings in a building * Used in relation to fenestra in anatomy, medicine and biology * Fenestration, holes in the rudder of a ship to reduce the w ...

with pointed arches, and

crenellations A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

across the front elevation parapet. The jail is two stories on an elevated basement. The main entrance is up a flight of steps. Two windows flank the stairs on the basement level. All the windows are double-hung sashes with one-over-one lights. The first floor story has three bays with a large door in the center bay. The second floor has four windows. The sides of the main building have three bays on each level. On the north side a one-story garage was added in 1937. It is the only major alteration of the exterior. The stonework matches the original building. In 1964 the garage was made into office space. After 1900 modern plumbing, heating, and electricity were installed. The second story served as the sheriff's residence until 1974.

Museum

The building is now owned by the Kosciusko County Historical Society and operated as the Kosciusko County Jail Museum.

References

External links

Kosciusko County Jail Museum
- Kosciusko County Historical Society {{National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana Government buildings completed in 1870 Buildings and structures in Kosciusko County, Indiana Museums in Kosciusko County, Indiana Prison museums in the United States History museums in Indiana National Register of Historic Places in Kosciusko County, Indiana 1870 establishments in Indiana

Design

Museum

See also

References

External links