Brooks County Jail
Why it's listed
Built in 1884, this one-story brick jail on South Madison Street in Quitman served Brooks County for nearly a century. Contractor Simeon A. Remington built it for $3,870, with another $2,000 for the steel cells, to replace an uninsured wooden jail that burned in 1880. Public pressure led the county to choose brick and a fire-proof design, including an arched corrugated metal ceiling. The Romanesque exterior has hood molds, a string course, pilasters and a corbeled cornice. Inside, a central hall with a jailer's office and juvenile cells leads to free-standing two-story riveted steel cells. Considered one of the best jails in the state when completed, it housed prisoners until 1980, when it could no longer meet fire and criminal justice codes. It is valued as the county's finest Romanesque building, as a record of local law enforcement, including executions and prison labor, and as an important governmental building. It is now vacant.
Significance in brief: It is the county's prime example of Romanesque architecture and is notable for its fire-proof brick and concrete construction with an arched corrugated metal ceiling. It represents the history of law enforcement in Brooks County, including its use as a site of local executions and of prison labor. It was also the county's only jail from 1884 to 1980.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82002387, listed August 26, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 200 S. Madison St., Quitman |
|---|---|
| County | Brooks County |
| Listed | August 26, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82002387 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Simeon A. Remington |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| Areas of significance | Law, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vacant since 1980, when it no longer met state fire and criminal justice codes; county prisoners are housed in Valdosta, and the jailer's office is occasionally used. The county historical society has requested the building for a museum, but no decision has been made. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Quitman Historic District |
| Coordinates | 30.78396, -83.56137 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82002387.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q28401283
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.