Allendale in Allendale County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)
Allendale Co. Jail
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Chain Gangs
Allendale Co. Jail. In 1919 the S.C. General Assembly issued $100,000 in bonds to fund construction o a jail and courthouse in the newly established Allendale County. Both were designed by Atlanta-based architect G. Lloyd Preacher, a Fairfax, S.C. native and graduate of Clemson College. The courthouse and jail were completed in 1922. The jail, which once stood here, housed not only prisoners, but also the jailer and jail administrator. The Allendale Co. Jail remained in use until 1971.
Chain Gangs. In 1894 the S.C. legislature passed an act requiring all male prisoners sentenced to less than two years to serve their term performing hard labor on public roads. The law promised to improve S.C. roads, but many of those sentence to hard labor had committed petty crimes and most were African American. A 1920 report found that the Allendale chain gang suffered poor and unsanitary conditions. Some inmates at the Allendale Jail served on road gangs well into the 20th century.
Erected 2016 by South Carolina Department of Archives and History; sponsored by Allendale County. (Marker Number 3-15.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Law Enforcement • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1919.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, 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, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Happy Home Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Swallow Savannah Methodist Church (approx. half a mile away); Town of Allendale (approx. 0.9 miles away); Old Allendale (approx. 3.1 miles away); Bethlehem Church (approx. 4.9 miles away); Barker's Mill / Skirmish at Barker's Mill (approx. 5.1 miles away); Allendale County War Memorial (approx. 5.1 miles away); Fairfax (approx. 5.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Allendale.
Additional keywords. debt slavery
Credits. This page was last revised on May 31, 2026. It was originally submitted on May 31, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 5 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on May 31, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
