Washington County Jail (Oregon)
|
Washington County Jail
|
|
|
Formerly listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
|
|
| File:Old Washington County Jail - Oregon.JPG | |
|
The jail in 2009 after move to outside
|
|
 |
|
| Location | Washington County, Oregon |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Hillsboro, Oregon |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Built | 1853 |
| NRHP Reference # | 86002090 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | July 31, 1986 |
| Removed from NRHP | December 24, 2008 |
The Washington County Jail is a log, one-room jail previously used in Oregon. It was built in 1853 and was used until 1870. In 1986, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), and is preserved by the Washington County Museum in Washington County, Oregon, United States and is exhibited outside of the museum near its entrance. In 2008, the building was de-listed from the NRHP.
History
In 1853, the first Washington County Jail opened.[1] It was built at Fourth and Washington Streets in Hillsboro, Oregon by William Brown for a cost of $900.[1] During its use, two people died while confined to the jail, and a baby was born after it ceased being used as a jail.[1] One of those dying in the jail was former Hudson's Bay Company employee William Burris who killed his family in 1855 in a drunken rage.[2] However, despite rumors, American Civil War General Ulysses S. Grant was not jailed here while he was posted to Oregon before the Civil War.[1]
In 1870, the building was sold to the Cave family.[1] They lived in it briefly while their house was built, and then used the structure as an outbuilding.[1] In 1953 the structure was moved to the Washington County Fairgrounds where it remained until 2003. Beginning in 2003, the building was restored at a cost of $75,000 and relocated from the county fairgrounds to the Washington County Museum.[1]
Currently
In 1986, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[3] Then in 2003 the building was disassembled and restored.[1] Next, in 2004, the jail was re-assembled inside the Washington County Museum where it sat as a permanent exhibit, preserved in the climate controlled environment.[1] On December 24, 2008, the jail was removed from NRHP after it was requested by the museum.[4][5] In September 2008, the museum decided to move the jail outside,[5] and in March 2009 the old log jail was relocated outside and became an outdoor exhibit on the grounds of the museum.[citation needed]
Structure
The one room, 160-square-foot (15 m2) wooden structure weighs 12,000 pounds.[1] Washington County Jail is sixteen feet long, nine feet wide, and twelve feet tall.[2] The jail was built in three months using Douglas fir timbers.[1] The building originally housed a bucket, ankle chains, and straw mattresses.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 Mandel, Michelle. A lockup to lure 'em in. The Oregonian, May 13, 2004.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Gunderson, Laura. The price of history. The Oregonian, February 20, 2003.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Image of the jail
- "The Old Log Jail: a Study in Old West Justice" - Washington County Museum
