Pickens County Jail
Why it's listed
Built in 1907 on a corner lot in downtown Jasper, the Pickens County Jail is a two-story brick building with a marble front. A porch with rusticated marble columns and two marble turrets mark the facade, and the marble came from the Delaware Quarry at nearby Marble Hill. The first floor held the jailer's quarters, where sheriffs and their families lived as part of their pay, while the second floor holds jail cells, a bull pen and a hall with a working gallows trap door. Atlanta architect James W. Golucke designed it, William L. Landrum and Son built it, and the Pauly Jail Company of St. Louis supplied the steel cells. It replaced an unsanitary 1850s rock jail condemned by grand juries and was the county's first fireproof jail. It served as the only county jail until a new one opened in 1982, after which it became a storage space. No official execution is known to have occurred here.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the jail is architecturally significant as a good example of a purpose-built county jail that uses local marble for the decorative front facade. It is also a work of Georgia jail and courthouse architect James W. Golucke, with steel cell work by the Pauly Jail Company. Locally, it was the county's second jail and its first fireproof one, and served as the only county jail from 1907 until the 1980s.
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 84001218, listed January 12, 1984. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | N. Main St., Jasper |
|---|---|
| County | Pickens County |
| Listed | January 12, 1984 |
| Reference number | 84001218 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | James W. Golucke and Company, Architects; William L. Landrum and Son, Contractors; Lee W. Prather, Stonemason |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in good condition with very few changes; used for storage after a new jail opened in 1982. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 34.46965, -84.43117 (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 84001218.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q16898331
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.