The Old Pickens County Jail

The Old Pickens County Jail. . "Stylishly and stoutly constructed" in 1906, the Old Pickens County Jail had "all the modern conveniences, both to the health and good keeping of the prisoners," reported Dr. William Tate, foreman of the building committee. Replacing Jasper's original rock jail, which had fallen into disrepair by the turn of the century, the Old Pickens County Jail served the community until 1981. With its marble front, the jail symbolizes the county's early pursuit of law and order as well as the region's number one natural resource., Living in the jail, sheriffs and their families worked around the clock. The sheriff's wife cooked meals for family members and inmates, answered the radio, and managed paperwork. She also tried to shield her younger children from rowdier inmates, who yelled into the night and banged the cells. Sheriff Billy Wofford, the last sheriff to live in the jail, said, "The difference between being in the living quarters downstairs and the guys and few women that was upstairs, they finally did get to get out. We didn't.", (captions) , The Old Pickens County Jail ca 1910s. Courtesy Pickens Historical Society , Two-level floorplan of the Old Pickens County Jail. Courtesy Kathy Knapp