Colquitt County Jail
Why it's listed
Completed in 1915, the Colquitt County Jail is a three-story building on a raised basement with a tower, standing one block from the square in Moultrie's business district. Southern Structural Steel Company of San Antonio, Texas, designed and built it for about $28,000 from county funds. Its cross-T plan is of concrete and steel, faced in oriental brick with Georgia granite trim. A battlemented parapet and crenellated corner turrets give it a castle-like look, and the tower, locally called the "Buzzard's Roost," holds two solitary cells. The first floor served as living quarters for the sheriff or jailer, while the upper floors held cells enclosed in five-ply tool-proof steel. Original features included electric lighting, steam heat and baths. The nomination values the jail as an unusual local example of early twentieth-century Gothic Revival design and as a building used continuously for its original purpose by county government. Alterations include a kitchen addition, partly bricked-in windows, a 1970s exterior stairway and white paint.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the jail is significant for its unusual Gothic Revival architecture, which is rare in Southwest Georgia, and for its continuous use as the county jail since 1915. It is described as a major local landmark and a symbol of law and order, and as the first jail of its kind nominated in Georgia.
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 80001004, listed October 10, 1980. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 126 1st Ave., SE, Moultrie |
|---|---|
| County | Colquitt County |
| Listed | October 10, 1980 |
| Reference number | 80001004 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | Southern Structural Steel Co., San Antonio, Texas, Architect and Builder; Frank Holcombe, Superintendent |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Areas of significance | Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use as the county jail; condition marked fair to good, with a possible future transfer to the county historical society if a new jail is built. |
| Acreage | 0.5 |
| Within district | Moultrie Commercial Historic District |
| Coordinates | 31.17864, -83.78667 (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.
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 80001004.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16890524
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.