Former Fayette County Jail Site Being Prepared For Possible Plaza Area

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What had been the Fayette County Jail since its construction in 1884 at 113 East Market Street in Washington Court House, is no more.

The former jail has been completely demolished and removed from the site, except for more than two dozen limestone blocks that came from the original jail.

The site was being graded down on September 3rd upon Litter Media’s visit to the project site. Once that is completed, the site will remain vacant until late spring, when a proposed concrete patio with landscaping and a few new trees could be added as a new public plaza area. Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth says they are still in the “thinking stage” on how the limestone blocks could be utilized in a manner that can depict their historical significance.

The Fayette County Commissioners have stated they believe the plaza will become a nice area for county employees along with the general public to eat lunch or utilize it as a relaxation station.

Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth told Litter Media’s Mike Smith that they saved the limestone blocks in hopes they could be used somehow in the design of the proposed courthouse plaza, or for some other historic commemorative use. “We have reason to believe the limestone might have been taken from a local quarry, which is another reason we wanted to save as many of them as possible”, said Stanforth.

He added that masonry bricks taken off the former building, were not stable enough to be used for any future project, so they were given to local citizens as keepsakes of the historic building.

The former jail became obsolete after the new $21 million law complex was completed and occupied on Robinson Road.