Experience an 1897 Jail!
The oldest surviving jail in the state, the
Pauly Jail, erected in 1897 and used as a film set in
2004, is a three-story red brick structure. The
Victorian Gothic style building is almost square in plan
and looks like a small donjon or brooding house.
Cement coats the foundation and
the lowest courses of brick. Rusticated stone
lintels are located over the door and windows. The
castle-like facade features small projecting square
brick turrets with witch's hats (spiked metal caps) at
the corners. The building has a metal hipped roof.
The entrance is a single door on the ground level.
On the second floor is the
bullpen
containing a metal table and benches that served as the
eating quarters. To the right of the table is the
commode and an open shower for bathing. On
the third level, a trap door is set in the floor.
The door, which could be opened by pushing a lever, was
used for hanging condemned prisoners in the early 1900s.
Today the jail serves as a museum. It sits behind
the 1871 Second Empire Style Courthouse, adjacent to a
beautiful landscaped park and
gazebo. A restoration of the jail was completed
in 2000.
In 2004, Independent film
company Strata Production filmed part of "Heaven's
Fall" at the Pauly Jail. The movie is based on
the historic 'Scottsboro Boys' case, in which nine
black youths were falsely accused on raping two white
women. The case led to the end of whites-only juries.
The film stars Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, B.J. Britt,
Anthony Mackie, Azura Skye and Leelee Sobieski.
The jail is open for tours
by appointment. Call (334) 738-TOUR (8687) or email
tourbc@ustconline.net.
Building the Jail in 1897
The Bullock County Jail of 1897 replaced the jail of
1868, which stood on West Hardaway Street.
The contract for the Bullock County Jail was
submitted to the Pauly Jail Company. The site chosen for
the new brick jail was on the Pull House blacksmith lot.
The new jail was built under the supervision of J. A.
Youngblood. Sheet metal work was contracted to Frank
Anderson of Union Springs. The only wooden materials in
the structure are found in the windows and the attic
vent above the door. The jail was built at a cost of
$7,250.
Pauly Jail Building Company, Inc.
The Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company was
founded in 1856 by Mr. P. J. Pauly, a German-American
born in 1832. The company was incorporated in St. Louis,
Missouri, in 1885 and is the predecessor of the
corporation as it presently exists. The company was the
first to succeed after discovering the advantages of
steel jail construction. |
Pauly
Jail Museum
