Wayne Township in Waynesville in Warren County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
The Lockup
Circa 1881
Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 2024
1. The Lockup Marker
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1881.
Location. 39° 31.934′ N, 84° 5.139′ W. Marker is in Waynesville, Ohio, in Warren County. It is in Wayne Township. It is on Chapman Street west of North Main Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 260 Chapman St, Waynesville OH 45068, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Greater Cincinnati and in the Miami Valley. It is also in the American Midwest and in the Corn Belt. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, and the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers
this page online
Regarding The Lockup. Excerpt from the National Register nomination:
Used for nearly 75 years as the village firehouse and lockup, this building is important as the only remaining 19th century building used for municipal government purposes in the Village of Waynesville. Built between 1881-1886, the building is a significant vestige of late 19th century small-town efforts to provide a governmental presence with fire and police protection for its citizens.
[T]he building is an important and well-preserved example of a property type, the combined engine house and jail. Its use as a village prison, or lockup,is representative of the time when short-term confinement was handled locally, before temporary incarceration shifted from local communities to larger county jails. The small-scale lockup was common in many 19th century towns, serving for the overnight detention of vagrants, drunks, and other minor offenders. Only a few other examples of this building type have been identified in Ohio to datePhotographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, May 27, 20242. The Lockup MarkerThe building is now used as a special-event venue.
As an engine house, this building is significant because of its role in the development of the small town volunteer fire department of the late 19th century. The building initially housed the town's hook and ladder truck, symbolizing the early bucket brigades that were used to fight fires in the town. It was adapted as the home for the village's updated hand-operated pump engine in late 1885 and first steam pump engine in early 1886. The purchase of this latter engine, known as Old Faithful, was a significant advance in fire fighting for Waynesville.
Also see . . .
1. Waynesville Engine House and Lockup (PDF). National Register nomination for the building, which was listed in 1999. (Prepared by Judy Williams; via National Archives) (Submitted on June 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
2. History. According to local historians, the building opened as Waynesvilles first firehouse in 1881 and, a few years later, served as its one-cell jail on what was then Tyler Street. (Museum at the Friends Home) (Submitted on June 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 22, 2024. It was originally submitted on June 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 303 times since then and 32 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on June 22, 2024, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
