Old Colleton County Jail is a historic

library A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...

building located at

Walterboro Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The city's population was 5,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is located west of Charleston and is located near the ACE Basin r ...

Colleton County, South Carolina Colleton County is in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. state of South Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,604. Its county seat is Walterboro. The county is named after Sir John Colleton, 1st Baronet, one of the eight Lo ...

. It was built in 1856, and is a

stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...

ed brick building in the Gothic Revival style. The building was designed by noted

Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoun ...

architects,

Edward C. Jones Edward Culliatt Jones (July 21, 1822 – February 12, 1902) was an American architect from Charleston, South Carolina. and A number of his works are listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and two are further designated ...

and

Francis D. Lee Francis D. Lee (1826–1885) was an American architect and inventor from Charleston, South Carolina. Life He graduated from the College of Charleston in 1846 and completed his master's degree in 1848. He worked closely with the community of Charl ...

. The jail in part resembles a miniature, fortified castle. The front façade has crenellated

parapet A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). ...

s, turret-like structures at either corner, and a massive central tower with a large

lancet window A lancet window is a tall, narrow window with a pointed arch at its top. It acquired the "lancet" name from its resemblance to a lance. Instances of this architectural element are typical of Gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and ...

above the main entrance. It was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1971.

References

Jails on the National Register of Historic Places in South Carolina Gothic Revival architecture in South Carolina Government buildings completed in 1856 Buildings and structures in Colleton County, South Carolina National Register of Historic Places in Colleton County, South Carolina Jails in South Carolina 1856 establishments in South Carolina {{ColletonCountySC-NRHP-stub