Halifax Colonial Jails

Halifax Colonial Jails (HM158M)

Location: Halifax, NC 27839 Halifax County
Buy North Carolina State flags at Flagstore.com!
Country: United States of America
Buy United States of America flags at Flagstore.com!

N 36° 19.809', W 77° 35.311'

  • 0 likes
  • 0 check ins
  • 0 favorites
  • 622 views
Inscription
The citizens of Halifax constructed three jails between 1759 and 1838. The first two stood near this spot. The North Carolina General Assembly ordered the construction of the first jail, along with the stocks and a pillory, for the "detention and punishment of offenders" in the newly created Halifax district. In 1762, five inmates set fire to the jail, burned it to the ground, and escaped.

In 1764, the assembly passed as act to replace the first jail.

Whereas, the gaol formerly erected for the District of Halifax was lately burned down and there being no place of sufficient strength to secure the many felons and other misdoers in that district by which means numbers of loose and disorderly person are daily committing the most atrocious crimes and impunity?

By the end of the year, a new jail had been completed which remained until 1836. It held not only common criminals, but also prisoners of war during the Amercan Revolution, including Tories captured at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in 1776 and other Loyalists during the war. Despite, or perhaps because of, its heavy use during the Revolution, the jail fell into disrepair.

This deterioration continued until 1836 when, like its predecessor, inmates set it aflame. The culprits escaped, but were soon caught. At least one other prisoner died in the fire. This is the third jail, which was constructed in 1838, and designed to be fireproof.
Details
HM NumberHM158M
Tags
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Sunday, October 19th, 2014 at 12:39pm PDT -07:00
Pictures
Sorry, but we don't have a picture of this historical marker yet. If you have a picture, please share it with us. It's simple to do. 1) Become a member. 2) Adopt this historical marker listing. 3) Upload the picture.
Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)18S E 267655 N 4023678
Decimal Degrees36.33015000, -77.58851667
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 36° 19.809', W 77° 35.311'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds36° 19' 48.54" N, 77° 35' 18.66" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)252
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 72 Market St, Halifax NC 27839, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

Is this marker missing? Are the coordinates wrong? Do you have additional information that you would like to share with us? If so, check in.

Nearby Markersshow on map
Check Ins  check in   |    all

Have you seen this marker? If so, check in and tell us about it.

Comments 0 comments

Maintenance Issues
  1. Is this marker part of a series?
  2. What historical period does the marker represent?
  3. What historical place does the marker represent?
  4. What type of marker is it?
  5. What class is the marker?
  6. What style is the marker?
  7. Does the marker have a number?
  8. What year was the marker erected?
  9. Who or what organization placed the marker?
  10. This marker needs at least one picture.
  11. Can this marker be seen from the road?
  12. Is the marker in the median?