Visitors like to hunt for names on the walls of the 1869 Allen County Jail, Kurtis Russell, director of the Allen County Historical Society, said. Some come looking for the name of a grandfather or other relative who spend time in the jail before it closed in 1959.
Russell has never seen anyone find the name of a relative. Its not as easy task, as hundreds of names and drawings adorn the nearly 150-year-old walls. Visitors arent allowed to touch the walls, for fear they could damage the artistic graffiti.
The jail was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The designation means the building will be protected as a landmark and museum for years to come, Russell said. Having the building on the national register means it must be kept in near-original condition, as much as possible.
The designation means the facility qualifies for a variety of grants, which the historical society used in recent years to repair cracks on the outside of the structure. The county hired a company that specializes in historic renovation.
It might not be the easiest, it might not be the cheapest and in todays standards, there might be a better way of doing it, Russell said. But its about keeping it as original as possible.
Allen County citizens approved a $10,000 bond issue to build the jail in 1869 and it was erected for $8,400. It was the first building in Allen County to be erected with county funds.
The building measures 30 feet by 47 feet and is constructed with limestone walls 2-feet thick. Initially, cells were made of wood and iron bars on the lower floor and living quarters for the jailer on the upper floor. There was no stairwell inside the building originally; the upper living quarters were accessed from stairs and a door in the back of the building. That kept the jailers family from interacting with prisoners, Russell said. The jailers family included children, a fact which often surprises visitors, he said. In 1904, the back stairs were removed and the door sealed. Stairs were installed inside the building and the upper quarters were remodeled as cells. The historical society has renovated the upper story back to a museum-quality representation of the time when it was used as living quarters.
The wooden cells were replaced in 1891 by a large steel cage, with doors that locked and unlocked from the outside using a series of levers. Prisoners escaped at least once when the jailer forgot to lock the cell doors, according to historical records.
Prisoners also escaped by removing the iron bars from a window grate or cutting a hole in the roof.
Probably the most infamous story about the jail came just a few months after it opened. On June 27, 1870, a small mob of men overpowered the sheriff to remove E.G. Dalson, who was jailed on suspicion of murdering his stepson. Dalson was taken to a barn outside Iola and hanged.
The buildings unique history makes it a favorite spot for tourists, Russell said. Its one of our better known museums because its a jail and that just attracts people.
