{"nrhp_refnum":"85002088","name":"Union County Jail","other_names":["Old Union County Jail"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"Blue Ridge Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Blairsville","county":"Union County","state":"GA","lat":34.875881425000046,"lon":-83.95979168499997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A two-story rock county jail on Blue Ridge Road in the town center of Blairsville, Union County, Georgia, built in 1934 by an unknown architect or builder. It lies about a block west of the historic courthouse.","why_significant":"The nomination cites significance in architecture and politics/government at the local level. Its vernacular design and materials express its mountain community setting, and the design resembles public works program styles of the period, although no documentation links it to such a program. It also served as the Union County jail for over 40 years.","narrative":"Built in 1934 on a sloping lot in the center of Blairsville, this two-story rock building served as the Union County jail for roughly four decades. It has raised mortar on the front facade, a one-story porch with tapered wood columns on rock piers, and a hipped roof. Inside, a central hall with a staircase keeps its wood floors and whitewashed rock walls, while the second-floor cell area has concrete floors, rock walls and a beamed concrete ceiling. A one-story frame wing was added at the rear after World War II. County minutes show the new jail was under construction in April 1934 and finished that October, replacing an earlier jail dating from 1887. It remained in use until the early 1970s, when a joint town and county jail opened. Today it houses city offices and the Chamber of Commerce. Its local importance rests on its mountain vernacular design and its long role in county government.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Vernacular","criteria":[],"status_note":"Served as the county jail from 1934 until the early 1970s; now used as Blairsville City Hall and Chamber of Commerce office. Described as in good condition.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:42.832024-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/85002088.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002088/f331c5152a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002088/f331c5152a-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"KudzuVine","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Union_County_Jail,_Blairsville_(Union_County,_Georgia).JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">KudzuVine</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Union_County_Jail,_Blairsville_(Union_County,_Georgia).JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93206642","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Union_County_Jail_(Blairsville,_Georgia)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q28153760"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/union-county/union-county-jail-85002088/"}