Crawford County Jail
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Why it's listed
Built in 1888, the Crawford County Jail is a two-story, square brick building with a fieldstone foundation and a pyramidal roof, located on a small triangular lot beside Georgia Highway 42 in Knoxville. Brick piers at the corners and along the walls, and only two openings in the front and side facades, give it a fortress-like look. Inside, prefabricated iron cells made by Southern Structural Steel of San Antonio, Texas, remain on both floors along with steel plate doors and barred windows. Unlike many jails of its era, it had no living quarters for a jailor and no kitchen. The county commissioners contracted for it at a cost of $3,563.35, and Thomas B. Artope, a Macon marble and granite dealer, was the builder. It served as the county's only jail until 1972 and is one of the few surviving buildings from Knoxville's days as county seat. It is valued for its history and as a well-preserved example of a small Georgia county jail.
Significance in brief: It is significant as an intact late 19th century county jail with its original prefabricated iron cells and hardware. It was the only jail in Crawford County from 1888 to 1972. It is also one of the few remaining buildings from Knoxville's time as the county seat.
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 89000418, listed May 18, 1989. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | GA 42, Knoxville |
|---|---|
| County | Crawford County |
| Listed | May 18, 1989 |
| Reference number | 89000418 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1888 |
| Architect / builder | Thomas B. Artope |
| Architectural style | No style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Law, Politics/Government, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed current function is vacant; the iron jail works and original hardware remain, while the water tank and piping are gone. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 32.72441, -83.99547 (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 89000418.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5182849
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.