Constructed by Douglas County on land donated by East Fork Township's Fourth Justice of the Peace, Mr. L.S. Ezell, in 1910, the Gardnerville Branch Jail was quickly placed in full service after the main jail in Genoa was destroyed by fire that year. It was Douglas County's only jail in the Valley from 1910 to 1915, with the lower floor used to house "guests" and the upper floor serving as a courtroom. The upper floor courtroom cost an additional $400 and was paid for by the town. Although a new jail was constructed in 1915 in the basement of the new Douglas County courthouse on 8th Street, the Gardnerville Branch Jail remained in use for many years afterward. It is listed on both the State and National Register of Historic Places.