The creaking of the Old Jail doors – time to tour

Published 3:52 pm Friday, August 26, 2022

The historic Old Jail will be opening its doors in September for perusal of the oldest free-standing jail in the state and the third oldest in the country. Members of the Claiborne County Historical & Genealogy Society will conduct free tours every Saturday in the month from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

The structure had quite the remarkable and scary past during its heyday between1819 and 1931.

The ‘hanging doors’ drew many a crowd back in the day. Folks packed a picnic lunch in anticipation of an exciting event as they traveled from communities near and far to witness the end of the scallywag awaiting his doom.

Families and friends excitedly discussed the goings on of the day as they kept one eye on the hanging doors.

The bullpen door swung open at the appointed time and the convicted took the few steps to the hanging doors for his public execution. Witnesses to the hanging would spend the next days and weeks, sometimes months to years, retelling what they saw.

The two-story limestone and brick building, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, was constructed with double walls, the inside wall consisting of wood frame. The outer wall was made with rock. The first floor of the stone foundation basically served as the entryway. A flight of stairs led to the brick section of the structure which was…