HauntBound archive · catalog record
Reported phenomena, as catalogued
An 1906 Victorian castle jail where condemned prisoners dropped through a trapdoor into the sheriff's office — and the hangman's noose still hangs.
128 North Gordon Street, Ashburn, GA 31714
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Tours by appointment through the Ashburn Welcome Center. Admission fee charged; contact Welcome Center for current pricing.
Access
Limited Access
Multi-story historic building with original stairs; the execution chamber trapdoor is on an upper floor.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1906 · National Register of Historic Places (1982) · Intact Execution Chamber with Original Trapdoor · Active County Jail for 87 Years (1906–1993)
The Turner County Jail at 128 North Gordon Street in Ashburn was completed in 1906. The architect designed it in a Victorian castellated style unusual for a county jail of that era and size — the facade gives the building the look of a small fortress rather than a rural county facility. The structure was built as a combined sheriff's residence and holding facility, with the sheriff's family living on one side and cells occupying the other floors.
The building's most notable feature is its execution chamber, located on an upper floor. Condemned prisoners were placed on a trapdoor platform; the trap dropped them into the sheriff's office directly below. The mechanism remains intact. A framed piece of physical evidence from one execution — the bloodstained collar of Miles Cribb, hanged at the facility on a date documented in county records as 1914 — is displayed in the museum. A Georgia Trend feature from 2016 confirmed both artifacts.
The jail operated continuously as Turner County's active correctional facility from its 1906 opening through 1993 — a span of 87 years. During that time it held county prisoners awaiting trial and serving sentences, and it was used for the county's capital executions when required.
The Turner County Jail was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. After its closure in 1993, the facility was converted to the Crime and Punishment Museum. Tours are arranged through the Ashburn Welcome Center and cover the jail's operational history, the execution chamber, and surviving artifacts from its decades as an active facility.
Sources
The Crime and Punishment Museum does not formally market itself as a haunted attraction, but the building's century of use as a county jail and execution site has generated a consistent body of accounts among tour visitors and local sources.
The execution chamber draws the most frequent reports. The intact trapdoor platform and the drop below it have been described by visitors as generating a sudden cold sensation when standing near the mechanism, even on warm Georgia summer days. Several visitors have reported a feeling of heaviness or resistance when approaching the trapdoor rather than a general atmospheric quality spread through the room.
The upper-floor corridor outside the holding cells is the second focal point. Multiple accounts describe the sound of a cell door closing — a heavy metallic clang — in a section of the building where the cell doors are understood to be fixed open and unattended. These reports come primarily from docents and from the few individuals who have been in the building outside of regular tour hours.
The collar of Miles Cribb, displayed under glass in the museum, is sometimes cited in ghost-walk accounts as an object that has been seen to move slightly in its frame. No formal investigation has verified this claim, and the museum's interpretation focuses on the documentary history of the execution rather than paranormal claims.
Notable Entities
Where this legend is told
Appointment-based guided tour of the 1906 Turner County sheriff's residence and jail. Highlights include the original execution chamber with intact hangman's trapdoor, through which condemned prisoners were dropped into the sheriff's office below, and the framed bloodstained collar of Miles Cribb, hanged there in 1914. The building served as an active jail for 87 years until 1993.
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