Old Jail, The
Old Jail, The
Old Jail, The
Old Jail, The
Charleston, SC 29401
Hours: Tours are available by appointment. Please call 843-577-5245 for further information.
The Old Jail is located on a four-acre parcel. The Old Jail was constructed in 1802 and served as the Charleston County Jail until 1939. The Old Jail consisted of four stories, topped with a two-story octagonal tower. In 1855 alterations were made to the building which included a rear octagonal wing, plus expansions to the main building and Romanesque Revival details. The 1886 earthquake badly damaged the tower and top story of the main building and these were later removed.
Many notorious inmates served time at the Old Jail. John and Lavinia Fisher and their gang convicted of robbery and murder were held at the jail from 1819-1820. There were pirates, Union soldiers and four white men suspected of being involved in the aborted 1822 slave revolt also spent time in the jail.
Today the Old Jail is occupied by the American college of the Building Arts.
