Old Indiana County Jail and Sheriff's Office
Why it's listed
Built in 1887-1888 in brick, the Indiana County sheriff's house and jail form a single structure in Indiana, Pennsylvania, with the jail attached to the rear of the house. Both sections share Italianate massing, stone quoins, stepped brick corbeling and dentil cornices, while the house has bay windows, incised window caps and tooled porch woodwork and the jail has plainer facades with banks of barred windows. The complex served the county for 85 years, holding both the sheriff's household and prisoners. Its interior included steel cells, a central open hallway and separate cells for women and juveniles. The property was connected to the neighboring courthouse by an enclosed walkway, and the jail was used for executions until the last hanging in the county in 1913. The jail was declared inadequate in 1966 and its prisoners moved to a new facility in 1973. The land was donated by George Clymer in 1805.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the complex is significant as part of a law enforcement grouping with the courthouse and for its stylistic qualities, with the house and jail illustrating two applications of one Italianate manner. It also cites the jail's role in county law enforcement from 1887 to 1973, including the last hanging in the county in 1913, and the history of the land donated by George Clymer for 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 79002240, listed September 27, 1979. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 6th St. and Nixon Ave., Indiana |
|---|---|
| County | Indiana County |
| Listed | September 27, 1979 |
| Reference number | 79002240 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1800-1899 |
| Architect / builder | Architect: C.H. Sparks; Builder: John S. Hastings |
| Architectural style | Italianate |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Law, Social History |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Restored and altered; the 1978 restoration cleaned and repointed the brick, refinished woodwork and added a new floor in the jail section for reuse as offices. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Within district | Downtown Indiana Historic District |
| Coordinates | 40.62317, -79.15187 (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 79002240.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7084271
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.