This late 19th century two-story building, designed in the Romanesque Revival style with a rich brick corbel cornice at the eaves, contains its original cell block built by Stewart Jail Works Company of Cincinnati, Ohio. It served as the county jail until 1973, and graffiti left by inmates remains throughout the cells. The jail includes the only known indoor hanging cell in a North Carolina jail, but no one was ever hanged there because the year after it was built, the North Carolina Legislature banned hanging as a punishment. Because jailers' families lived in the jailer's quarters, local stories recall playing jack rocks on the smooth concrete floor and other old-fashioned games. An unusual hand-forged jail key may be seen in the Richmond-Miles History Museum, where appointments may be made for visits.