Est. 1891 · Henry Flagler · Florida Penal History · Gilded Age Architecture · National Historic Register
The Old St. Johns County Jail at 167 San Marco Avenue opened in 1891, commissioned by Henry Flagler as part of his broader development of St. Augustine. Flagler funded the construction to replace an inadequate earlier facility, and the building was designed by the Pauly Jail Building Company — the same firm later engaged for Alcatraz.
The jail housed prisoners from 1891 until 1953, a 62-year span during which conditions were documented as exceptionally harsh. Prisoners were assigned one bucket per cell in lieu of plumbing. Diet was minimal, supplemented by whatever insects and animals inmates could catch while performing free labor on Flagler's agricultural operations. Eight executions by hanging were carried out on the grounds, with additional deaths from disease, violence, and inadequate care.
Sheriff Joe Perry, the longest-serving sheriff in the jail's history (1917–1946), was headquartered in the building's residential quarters — a two-story section where the sheriff's family also lived. Perry's reputation for rigid discipline extended to the cell blocks. By 1953, state inspectors found the facility sufficiently inadequate to order its closure.
In 1954, one year after closing, the building was converted to a tourist attraction. Today it operates as the Old Jail Museum, listed on both the Florida and National Historic Registers. The museum has been featured on the television programs Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits.
Sources
- https://www.staugustineoldjail.com/paranormal/
- https://www.floridashistoriccoast.com/blog/old-st-johns-county-jail-haunting-experience/
- https://www.trolleytours.com/st-augustine/old-jail-after-dark-tour
- https://www.staugustineoldjail.com/sheriffs/
- https://www.staugustineoldjail.com/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_St._Johns_County_Jail
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=79613
- https://www.staugustineoldjail.com/prisoner-history/
- https://www.visitstaugustine.com/thing-to-do/old-jail
ApparitionsShadow figuresCold spotsEVPPhantom soundsPhantom footstepsPhantom smellsTouching/pushingEquipment malfunctionPhantom voices
The Old Jail's most consistent paranormal reports center on three areas of the building: the former sheriff's quarters, the kitchen, and the solitary confinement cell.
Sheriff Joe Perry is the most frequently named entity. Staff and investigators report heavy footsteps on wooden floors during closed hours, doors creaking open without contact, the sound of keys rattling, and a disembodied voice described as issuing orders. An overwhelming sense of being watched has been reported in the sheriff's residential section, accompanied by sudden temperature drops.
The kitchen area generates its own category of reports. Investigative equipment including motion detectors has triggered with no one visible in the space. Accounts describe a shadowy figure near where the stove once stood, the clanging of pots and pans, and the smell of cooking emanating from a room that has not had a functioning kitchen in decades.
The solitary confinement cell is associated in some accounts with Sim Jackson, imprisoned for the murder of his wife. Reports from this area describe a shadowy figure approaching visitors, temperature drops, and physical sensations of being touched. A number of investigators have photographed what they describe as shadow figures on the cell walls.
The sound of a little girl has been reported in or near the sheriff's former living quarters — a persistent account across multiple investigations. The Old Jail has been featured on the television programs Ghost Hunters and Kindred Spirits, where investigators documented EVP and thermal anomalies on camera.
Notable Entities
Sheriff Joe PerrySim Jackson (attributed)The Kitchen SpiritGirl in the Sheriff's QuartersSheriff Charles Joseph Perry (folkloric)
Media Appearances
- Ghost Hunters
- Kindred Spirits
- Ghosts and Gravestones tour content
- Ghost Hunters: Old Jail (2006)
- Kindred Spirits: Dead Men Tell Tales (S4E4) (2020)
