Beverly in Randolph County, West Virginia — The American South (Appalachia)
1841 Randolph County Jail
Photographed by Bradley Owen, February 4, 2025
1. 1841 Randolph County Jail Marker
The contract for this building was signed in 1841, but construction was not completed until 1845.
The accommodations for the jailer's family were in the front portion of the building with a hallway separating them from the cells in the back. The cells in the rear of the downstairs were constructed of large smooth cut ashlar stone.
Originally, the windows had bars to keep the prisoners from escaping. Women inmates were kept upstairs. Another cell upstairs held an iron cage which was used for violent or insane prisoners.
Elkins was designated as the new Randolph County seat in 1899, but this building remained the official county jail until around 1913, when a new jail was completed in Elkins.
This building was turned into a private residence shortly after the new jail opened.
(Sidebar):
"There was another jail delivery in Beverly last Friday night, and Miller, the man who escaped before and was rearrested, is again at liberty. He was confined in the $1200 cage from which he and two others had escaped before, and effected his liberty by breaking the chain which attached a large iron ball to the leg of a fellow prisoner, and used the ball as a means of breaking one of the inch-square bars in the cage, making a hole large enough through which to crawl."
Randolph
this page online
(Caption):
The photo above shows the interior hallway of the 1841 Jail. The original jail bars were reinstalled in May 2022 as a gift from the Randolph County Historical Society.
Erected by Historic Beverly Preservation and West Virginia Humanities Council.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Government & Politics • Law Enforcement. A significant historical year for this entry is 1841.
Location. 38° 50.422′ N, 79° 52.485′ W. Marker is in Beverly, West Virginia, in Randolph County. It is on Walnut Street south of Court Street, on the left when traveling south. Located at Stop 31 on the Historic Beverly Walking Tour. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 116 Walnut Street, Beverly WV 26253, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in West Virginia’s Potomac Highlands. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Beverly and Civil War "Firsts" (a few steps from this marker); Bushrod Crawford Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Hill Building (within shouting distance of this marker); Randolph Co. Courthouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Beverly Public Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Beverly Bank (within shouting distance
Photographed by Bradley Owen, February 4, 2025
2. 1841 Randolph County Jail Marker
Other markers no longer nearby. 1841 County Jail (was a few steps from this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it); Randolph County Jail (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. This marker has replaced another at this location.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on February 9, 2025, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 447 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 9, 2025, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia.
