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Florida's second-oldest standing jail (1894), site of six documented front-step hangings, now housing Clay County Archives with free public tours — and a Ghost Hunters episode to its name.
21 Gratio Place, Green Cove Springs, FL 32043
Research updated September 2026
Age
All Ages
Age rules for the staff-approved paranormal research option aren't posted; ask Archives staff about eligibility when you schedule.
Cost
Free
Free public tours of the archives and jail building during business hours.
Access
Limited Access
1894 brick construction; original stairways and narrow cell corridors
Equipment
Photos OK
Equipment and photography rules for the staff-approved paranormal research option aren't posted; ask when you schedule.
Est. 1894 · Florida's second-oldest still-standing jail · Operated for 78 years (1894–1972) · Six documented hangings carried out on the front steps during operational period · Now houses Clay County Archives — court records of hanging-era cases held on-site · Part of Clay County Historical Triangle
The Old Clay County Jail was constructed in 1894 in Green Cove Springs, Florida, at the time of the town's designation as Clay County seat. The brick building served as the county's active lockup for 78 years, until 1972, when a modern jail facility was opened and the last inmates were transferred. At the time of closure, it was the second-oldest still-standing jail in Florida.
During its operational period, the jail was the site of six documented executions by hanging, carried out on the building's front steps — a practice that placed executions in public view, consistent with nineteenth and early-twentieth-century Florida practice. The specific identities of those executed and the dates of their executions are documented in Clay County historical records referenced in Atlas Obscura's coverage of the site.
After closure as an active jail, the building was preserved and repurposed. It now houses the Clay County Archives, managed through the Clay County Clerk of Courts. The archives contain historical records of Clay County governance, including the court records associated with the hangings that took place at the building. The building is part of the Clay County Historical Triangle, a cluster of historic county buildings in downtown Green Cove Springs.
The Clay County Clerk's website documents the building's architectural history and its current function as an archives center, noting its significance as one of the oldest surviving examples of Florida county jail architecture. Public access is maintained during business hours, making it one of the more accessible historically active jails in Northeast Florida.
Sources
The Old Clay County Jail's paranormal reputation gained regional attention when the SyFy Channel's Ghost Hunters filmed an episode at the site, making it one of the better-documented investigative targets in Northeast Florida. The episode brought the building to the attention of the broader paranormal community and established a baseline record of the specific phenomena investigators reported.
The Ghost Hunters team and subsequent investigators have documented a consistent set of experiences across multiple visits to the building. Cell doors in the original block are reported to move or slam without mechanical explanation. Investigators and archives staff describe hearing voices — sometimes conversational in tone — and footsteps from unoccupied sections of the building. A subset of visitor and investigator accounts describe physical contact: being touched or pushed when no other person is present.
Clay Today covered the organized paranormal tours of the old jail and adjacent courthouse, reporting on the local operators who run evening investigation sessions and noting the connection between the documented execution history and the specific locations within the building where activity is most frequently reported. The front of the building — where the six documented hangings took place — and the original cell blocks on the upper floor are the areas with the highest concentration of reported phenomena.
The Clay County Archives' continued presence in the building means the historical records of the trials that led to the on-site executions are physically housed in the same structure where those individuals were held and killed — a fact the paranormal tour operators incorporate into their programming.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The Old Clay County Jail, which now houses the Clay County Archives, is open for free public tours during business hours. The building retains original cell blocks, hardware, and structural features from its 1894 construction. Visits can be self-guided through the public areas or arranged as guided tours through the Clerk's office.
Past accounts of paranormal tours of the Old Jail and the adjacent 1890s courthouse describe the history of the six documented hangings carried out on the jail's front steps and the investigative findings that prompted the Ghost Hunters episode. Current paranormal research can be scheduled at Archives staff discretion; call 904-371-0027.
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