Webster County Jails
Also known as: Old Jail; New Jail
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Why it's listed
Two jails stand together on a one-acre parcel in downtown Preston, the seat of rural Webster County, Georgia. The Old Jail, built around 1856, is a one-story building of hand-hewn log timbers with weatherboard siding, a metal gable roof, barred windows and square nails driven into the interior surfaces for added security. It has been moved several times, always on or near the same property, and returned to its original spot in 1995. The New Jail, built about 1910, is a two-story brick building with concrete floors and one-foot-thick walls. Its steel cells and doors were made by Stewart Jail Works of Cincinnati, and it shows modest Late Victorian detail such as brick corbeling and an oculus window. Together they were listed for architecture and for their role in county government, as the only two jails Webster County has built. The Old Jail is among very few surviving wooden jails in Georgia, and the New Jail keeps its original cell blocks.
Significance in brief: The jails are significant in architecture as intact examples of mid-19th-century and early-20th-century county jail construction. The Old Jail is one of only a few surviving wooden jails in Georgia. They are also significant in politics and government as the only two jails the county has ever built, and no prisoner is recorded as escaping from either.
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 00000152, listed March 3, 2000. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | Unnamed city street at the jct. of Cass St. and Old Post Office Rd., Preston |
|---|---|
| County | Webster County |
| Listed | March 3, 2000 |
| Reference number | 00000152 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | c.1856-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Stewart Jail Works Company of Cincinnati, Ohio - Steel Cell components in the New Jail building |
| Architectural style | Late Victorian: Victorian Eclectic |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture, Politics/Government |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The Old Jail is used for storage, with county plans to restore it as a museum. The New Jail houses the Sheriff Department and holds prisoners temporarily. |
| Acreage | 1 |
| Coordinates | 32.06670, -84.53577 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
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 00000152.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q105805893
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.