Vanderburgh County was formed and Evansville was named the county seat in 1818. This castle-like structure was completed in 1890 as the county’s fourth jail and second sheriff’s residence. Its stone exterior features step-gables, projecting turrets, crenellated roof lines, a simulated portcullis, and a central rounded tower, and a tunnel connects the jail to the 1890 courthouse. The jail and residence became the focal point of a race riot in July 1903 that lasted several days, killing twelve people and injuring many more. County functions moved out in 1969, and the building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. County jails were first established in 1792 under territorial laws and were included in the state constitutions of 1816 and 1851.