HISTORIC OLD JAIL OPEN FOR TOURS DURING GOLD RUSH DAYS

Post date: Oct 12, 2013 10:57:54 PM

The 1884 Lumpkin County Jail & Museum will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday of Gold Rush Days (Oct. 19-20) for tours conducted by members of the Lumpkin County Historical Society.

The Jail, which was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985, is located on Enota Street next to the Cannery Art Center two blocks east of Dahlonega’s Historic Public Square.

When the county's new detention center was constructed in 1964, the downstairs of the 1884 facility was remodeled and used as offices, first by the county and presently by the Historical Society and other organizations. The second floor jail cells remain as they were when the jail was in operation. A recent addition to the items in the jail is a cardboard cutout of a picture of Bill Miner (also known as the Gentleman Bandit and the Grey Fox), the most famous resident of the Historic Old Jail.

The Museum displays include household items that would have been used in the 1800s and early 1900s, artifacts from daily life during those times, and vintage photographs including gold mining scenes, historical buildings and significant events.