| Some of
you may wonder about Chattahoochee County and
its historic jail. The Chattahoochee County was
created by an Act of February 13, 1854, by
cutting a portion from Muscogee and Marion
Counties. This necessitated the newly created
county having its own courthouse and jail. A
wooden two-story, pg jail was completed on the
lot by July 29. 1855. Mr. Asbury Bryan was paid
$1250 for the structure. It served as the
county’s jail until 1902, when Pauly Louis,
Missouri, built the brick jail for $5000. On
March 13, 1986, the jail was placed on the
National Register of Historic Places. The
Chattahoochee County Historic Preservation
Society, Inc. was formed in 1994, and since then
has worked towards restoring the jail. The first
step was to apply for a grant of $1000, plus
matching funds from the county. This money was
used to obtain a structural analysis of the
jail, to see if it was savable. The jail was
found to structurally sound and the immediate
need was to secure the roof and gutters, in
order to prevent further leak damage. A second
grant, from the Heritage 2000 Commission was
obtained in 1997. One contractor was to commence
work in 1998, but a year went by with nothing
accomplished. Other contractors were contacted,
but they felt it was too dangerous to have their
employees work on the building. Finally in late
1998, we were fortunate to obtain Mr. Larry
Bussey, a preservation contactor in Columbus, to
agree to contract to stabilize the jail walls.
The walls had to be stabilized before the roof
could be replaced. The work commenced in March
1999 and was completed. The second phase of
restoring the metal roof and gutters was
completed in 2000. The third phase of
restoration is to design the interior of the
jail. We have applied for a grant twice and have
not been approved. In the mean time we hold
various fundraising activities such as
Barbecues, selling T-shirts, sweatshirts and
travel mugs (with a picture of the jail on
them). Another fundraiser is our memory quilts.
We have completed two quilts, which are hinging
in the Cusseta Courthouse. It took approximately
670 hours to do the first two quilts. A third
quilt is being completed.
A Centennial Celebration that included music,
food and speakers was held to dedicate a
historical Marker to the Chattahoochee County
Jail. The dedication ceremonies took place
September 14, 2002.
The Historic Society is looking for new
members. If you have an opportunity to come to
Cusseta, be sure to stop by to see our jail and
the quilts hanging in the courthouse. Meeting of
the Society are held on the first Monday each
month, beginning at 7:00 PM at the Chattahoochee
County Courthouse. Membership fees and dues are
$25.00 annually. Membership includes: a
newsletter, an annual Report, advance notice of
all events and an opportunity to participate in
all Society Projects. |
