Old Columbia Jail / Columbia

Erected sometime in the early 1860's, the Old Columbia Jail is one of the last wooden jails still standing in Alabama. Originally, it had two cells, each measuring 10 x 15 feet, and its interior walls are studded every two inches with iron spikes to prevent prisoners from escaping. The Columbia Women's Club and the Columbia Bicentennial Committee completely renovated the building as a museum to preserve articles of historical interest to Columbia citizens. Columbia was formerly a prominent Chattahoochee River port-of-call and a major trading center for communities throughout Alabama's Wiregrass area. Between 1822 and 1833, it served as the county seat for Henry County, which then comprised portions of present-day Covington, Dale, Barbour, Coffee, Crenshaw, Bullock, Geneva, and Houston Counties. At the turn of the century, Columbia was bypassed by the Alabama Midland Railway in favor of Dothan, and as railroads continued to take freight trade away from riverboats, its position as a principal trade center began to decline.

Columbia, Alabama · United States