Back in November of 2020, we got our first shot at investigating this new barely touched location with an awesome grooup of people who came out to the event. Let's just say, that night, the jail came alive. Everyone who attended the event went home with some kind of experiences. We were blown away by the amount of activity the old stone jail showed us. We were able to capture EVPs, and had tons of meter communication. The jail was such an active location, we just had to go back, and once again, you can go with us.
THE OLD JAIL
The building referred to as the Old Jail is believed to be the fourth jail in Simpson County.
A handbill dated January 19, 1878 offering a $200 reward for the capture and delivery of John Bunton at the Franklin jail in Simpson County might have heralded the incident that prodded the county fathers in moving faster with their plans for the construction of a new jail.
The jail was designed by H. P. McDonald Brothers, shortly after opening their Louisville office. At this time, McDonald was the fastest rising architect in the state. About 1880, McDonald developed a number of standard designs for building such as schools, hospitals, courthouses and, of course, jails. Two of these standard designs, which would be repeated dozens of times, are realized in the Simpson County jail (1879) and the Simpson County courthouse (1882). The firm designed a number of Franklin buildings including the Presbyterian Church (1886), the Franklin Female College (1889), and the Goodnight house (1893). The pinnacle of McDonald’s career came in 1887 when their design for the Kansas State House was accepted and built. It should be noted that a certain patriotism is demonstrated by Simpson County by their use of Kentucky architect as opposed to those of much closer Nashville.
The unique style of the Old Jail is based on a medieval fortress conveyed through thin lancet windows and massive stone work. Such a design combines psychological deterrence to crime and provides an escape-proof enclosure for prisoners.
The very visible iron bars and straps bolted to the stone are unique to the Simpson County jail. It is thought these bars were added about the turn of the century. Similar McDonald Brothers’ jails exhibit these narrow slits between the stones, but without bars. It was believed no prisoner could be small enough to slip between the huge stones. Apparently the Simpson County court was convinced the large stones could be pushed out and escape made possible.
The Simpson County Jail has a cruciform or cross-shaped floor plan. Such and other details were somewhat modified for other McDonald jails to accommodate different needs including budgets, available materials and occupancy.
One of the McDonald Brother’s superintendents, Peter Pfeiffer, an experienced stone mason, supervised the job. Tradition had it that a Simpson Countian, Cornelius Peden, and his workmen undertook the Herculean task of quarrying, transporting, shaping and assembling the huge limestone blocks under the watchful and expert eye of Mr. Pfeiffer.
One of the largest of the stones quarried measured eight feet by two feet square and may weigh up to two or three tons. A smaller stone at the front of the jail bears the name of the local commissioners, I. J. Bogan, R. Milliken, and G. Milliken; also the names of H. P. McDonald, architect and superintendents P. Pfeiffer and R. N. Pfeiffer. The huge flat stone which serves as part of the second story entrance is cantilevered out four feet into space above the lower door.
The quality of composition of the limestone in the floors and ceilings differs noticeably from that used in the walls. The wall stones are hammered smooth on the inside and left rough for the exterior. The nine-inch thick floor and ceiling stones are finer grained and smoother textured stone. Perhaps they were quarried at a different location.
It is common knowledge that one quarry for the jail stone is located about three miles east of Franklin just off Roark Road near the property line separating Dr. John Curry’s farm and the Dan Ware farm. The huge stones were probably hauled to the jail site by ox cart, finished and then hoisted into position. A tripod derrick made of long logs and a pulley system was, no doubt, used to raise, lower and place the stones as they were cemented together.
One of the most interesting features of the old jail is the location of eight-inch holes in front of each ground-level cell door. These were openings which drained into a trough beneath the lower hall floor. This drainage system is similar to the systems used in the P.I.C. pig barns in this locality. In the jail it was used to flush out the cells and drain sewage in the main sewer.
Most of the tales about the presence of an underground dungeon probably stem from the fact that this drainage system under the hall floor was lined with uncut stone walls accessed for cleaning and repairs as mentioned in County Order Book I, page 36, 1883. Perhaps the inmates and jail personnel noted its similarity to a dungeon, thus the rumors grew. Over the years it filled in with over a foot of silt and had a newer floor added. This cellar-like tunnel extends the entire length of the hall and about three or four feet beyond the north entrance of the stone jail where it seems to be diverted to the main sewer.
Another question often raised is whether the undiscovered "tunnel" could actually be an extension of one passageway of Hoy’s Cave which is rumored to run under Franklin’s square and courthouse. No recent explorations of this part of the cave have been done to verify possibility.
In the 1960's, modern plumbing was installed in each jail cell. This consisted of a stainless steel combination commode/wash basin set into the corner of each cell, except two reserved for shower rooms.
In the early days the jail was heated in winter by a pot-bellied stove located near the center of the downstairs hall. This stove featured a long stovepipe extending through a round flu opening into an exterior brick chimney. The present Simpson County jailer, Mr. James Mooneyhan, a third-generation jailer, explained that in earlier years a system of "storm windows" was installed each fall to keep out the cold but were removed each spring. These large wood and glass panels were attached inside each cell to wooden pegs inserted into holes in the stone walls. In later years the slits in the cells were bricked up to within a few inches of the top to eliminate the need for sudden difficult seasonal change-over. County court records dated November 22, 1893 tell of the construction of a new chimney for $18.50. One cell was equipped with a solid iron door and used for solitary confinement. Several cells had heavy iron rings set into the floor. It is assumed that these were used to manacle or shackle dangerous or unruly prisoners to the floor with chains and leg irons. In the ceiling and walls of the downstairs hall, heavy rings are also found which could have been used to shackle prisoners with wrist irons and chains.
