Debtors' Prison
Why it's listed
Standing on a small lot in the village of Accomac near the county courthouse, this 18-by-30-foot brick building is the oldest public structure in Accomack County. It was built in 1783 as the jailer's house for a county jail and a seventy-foot-square brick jailyard. The walls are laid in Flemish bond with glazed headers, and the interior follows a simple hall-and-parlor plan. In 1824, after a new state law required separate facilities for debtors, the county added iron window lattices and heavy batten doors and turned the house into a debtors' prison. It served that purpose until imprisonment for debt was abolished in Virginia. The jail and yard wall were demolished in 1909, leaving this building as the only survivor. The Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities took custody that year, restored it partly in 1911 and more fully in 1953, and used it as a library from 1911 to 1927. It is now a museum of county history.
Significance in brief: It is described as a rare example of an eighteenth-century penal structure in Virginia and the oldest public building in Accomack County. It is the only survivor of a complex that once included a jail and a walled jailyard. The area of significance includes architecture and social/humanitarian history, with penology listed.
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 76002087, listed November 7, 1976. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | VA 764, Accomac |
|---|---|
| County | Accomack County |
| Listed | November 7, 1976 |
| Reference number | 76002087 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1700-1799, 1800-1899 (specific dates 1783; 1824) |
| Architectural style | Federal |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Social History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Currently in use as a museum of Accomack County history; in good condition, partially restored in 1911 and more thoroughly in 1953. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Within district | Accomac Historic District |
| Coordinates | 37.71998, -75.67091 (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 76002087.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5248623
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.