PAST HARRISON COUNTY SHERIFF'S |
John W. Brown W.R. Allen J.P. Devers W.H. Hillman J.C. Baker T.J. Garrison M.C. Gillidett J.M. Nevill J.W. Severe R.B. Tedlock J.B. Manifold Harry Webb Fred Daily Fred Daily Don Stockwell Leon Riggs George Martz Rick Dierenfeldt Josh Eckerson |
1845-1846 1848-1852 1856-1860 1862-1866 1870-1872 1876-1878 1882-1886 1890-1894 1898-1902 1916-1920 1924-1928 1932-1936 1940-1944 1948-1952 1960-1972 1976-1984 1989-1996 2001-2004 2013 to 2020 |
Henry Fuller M.K. Howell Thomas Monson W.R. Simms George Graham T.J. Baker W.H. Gillespie J.A. Walker A.H. Flint Fred Tucker Bert Hogan H.L. McCollum Chris Tripp Melvin Smith Melvin Smith John Findley Richard Stratton George Martz Trevor Place |
1846-1848 1852-1856 1860-1862 1866-1870 1872-1876 1878-1882 1886-1890 1894-1898 1902-1906 1920-1924 1928-1932 1936-1940 1944-1948 1952-1960 1972-1976 1985-1988 1997-2000 2005-2012 2020-Present |
At the February term, 1847, the County Court let a contract to build a jail on the northwest corner of the square. It was used until 1860 when a more secured prison was built. The first jail was built by John and Clem Oatman. The building was two stories high, sixteen feet square, and the walls consisted of two thicknesses of hewn solid oak logs, 12 inches square. Each story was eight feet high. It was placed into service Sept. 1, 1847.
The second jail was a substantial structure which still stands today one block south of the square on 15th street. Work was begun in 1861 on the $8,000.00 contract, but due to the civil war was not completed until 1864. The jail was 22 feet square, two stories high, and was built from large dressed stone weighing from one to two tons each. In 1875, strong iron cells were put in at a cost of $2,400.00 to prevent the prisoners from loosening the stones. The jailer's residence adjoined the jail on the south. It was 15 by 30 feet in size and was built of brick.
The Harrison County court house was built in 1939. The jail was built on the third floor of the court house. At the time it was considered one of the most secured jails in the area. The current jail was built in 2003 and houses 42 inmates and the sheriff's office, Bethany Police Department and Probation and Parole is located on the first floor. The jail is in the basement and houses prisoners for the Harrison County Sheriff's Office and the Gentry County Sheriff's Office.