Knox County Jail

Knox County Jail
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Public Sq., Market St., Knoxville, Illinois
Coordinates	40°54′31″N 90°17′7″W / 40.90861°N 90.28528°WCoordinates: 40°54′31″N 90°17′7″W / 40.90861°N 90.28528°W
Area	less than one acre
Built	1845
Built by	Wheeler, Alvah
NRHP Reference #	92000050[1]
Added to NRHP	February 13, 1992

The Knox County Jail, located on the public square in Knoxville, is a former county jail used by Knox County, Illinois. Built in 1845, the jail was the second used in the county; it replaced a log jail which was thought to be insufficiently secure. Contractor Alvah Wheeler built the two-story brick building for $7,724. The county's only official hanging was conducted at the jail in 1873, when John M. Osborne was executed for the murder of Adelia Matthews; several hundred people came to watch his execution. Later in the same year, the county seat and the jail were both moved to Galesburg; the Knoxville jail is now part of the Knox County Museum.^[2]

The jail was added to the National Register of Historic Places on February 13, 1992.^[1]

References

1. National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
2. Hutchcroft, Sally (October 20, 1991). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Knox County Jail" (PDF). Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. Retrieved February 6, 2016.