Before about 1847, Presbyterians are said to have used this site as a place of worship before relocating to Bethany Church. Graves of the Cary Wood family, early pioneers, were moved to Covington Cemetery. In 1901, the graveyard site and part of Mrs. N. A. Stallings's property were deeded to the county for use as a county jail because the old jail on the courthouse yard was no longer suitable for human habitation. The new jail was designed and constructed to be the most secure and best in the state, with space to house 40 prisoners comfortably and safely and with modern living quarters for the jailer and his family.