Old Jail Museum
Dublin Core
Title
Old Jail Museum
Alternative Title
St. Augustine Old Jail
The Old St. Johns County Jail
Historic St. Johns County Jail
Date Created
1891
Date Modified
1914
1953-1954
1993
Type
The original purpose of this building was as the city jail.
This building was repurposed as a museum about law enforcement.
Description
The original jail was located on Cordova Street next door to Henry Flagler's new Hotel Ponce de Leon (now Flagler College). He did not want the jail near his guests, so he donated $10,000 for the construction of a new jail futher away. The Romanesque-Queen Anne design was deliberate, to not look like a jail, with the exception of the barred windows.
The new jail was built in 1891 and it held prisoners until 1953. It was constructed by Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company out of St. Louis, Missouri. They would go on to build the infamous Alcatraz Prison. The jail could hold upwards of seventy-two prisoners and included living quarters for the sheriff and his family. In 1914, indoor plumbing was added.
After the prison closed in 1953, the prison became a tourist attraction to recreate what incarcerated life was like c. 1900. The building was renovated in 1993.
Although the building only dates back to 1891, it is St. Johns County's oldest still-standing government building. In 1987, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places which is affiliated with the National Park Service.
The new jail was built in 1891 and it held prisoners until 1953. It was constructed by Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company out of St. Louis, Missouri. They would go on to build the infamous Alcatraz Prison. The jail could hold upwards of seventy-two prisoners and included living quarters for the sheriff and his family. In 1914, indoor plumbing was added.
After the prison closed in 1953, the prison became a tourist attraction to recreate what incarcerated life was like c. 1900. The building was renovated in 1993.
Although the building only dates back to 1891, it is St. Johns County's oldest still-standing government building. In 1987, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places which is affiliated with the National Park Service.
Has Part
The Old Jail is now owned by the Old Town Trolley Tours company.
Mediator
This musuem is open to the public for a fee 364 days a year. For visitor information please go here: https://www.trolleytours.com/st-augustine/old-jail.
Rights Holder
Source
The following books, articles, websites, and photographers were used to find the above photographs or illustrations:
Photograph 1 (20th Century): Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2007.
Photograph 2 (2023): Augusty, Jean-Marc. "The Jail." March 5, 2023.
The following books, articles, and/or websites were used to find information about this location:
Adams, William R. and Paul L. Weaver, III. Historic Places of St. Augustine and St. Johns County: A Visitor’s Guide. St. Augustine, FL: Southern Heritage Press, 1993.
Mariner, Cosmos and Jamie Cox. “The Old St. Johns County Jail.” Edited by Bill Pfingsten. HMdb.org: The Historical Marker Database. September 28, 2024. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=79613.
“Old Jail.” VisitStAugustine. 2024. https://www.visitstaugustine.com/thing-to-do/old-jail.
Rajtar, Steve, and Kelly Goodman. A Guide to Historic St. Augustine, Florida. 1st edition. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2007.
Rights
Flagler College’s Rare Books, Floridiana & Institutional Repository are neither the original nor current copyright owner for the photographs. Please contact the publisher or source cited for each photograph to obtain a copy and/or permission to reproduce these items.
Is Referenced By
The following St. Augustine Fiction books feature this building as a location:
Bad News Travels
Ghosts: Another Summer in the Old Town
Reckless Endeavor
St. Augustine A to Z
Tales from the Oldest City
Bad News Travels
Ghosts: Another Summer in the Old Town
Reckless Endeavor
St. Augustine A to Z
Tales from the Oldest City
Date Submitted
This record was last updated on October 4, 2024.
Collection
Citation
P.J. Pauley Jail Building and Manufacturing Company, “Old Jail Museum,” St. Augustine Fiction, accessed June 22, 2025, https://staugustinefiction.omeka.net/items/show/361.