Halifax Colonial Jails

The citizens of Halifax constructed three jails between 1759 and 1838, with the first two standing near this spot. The North Carolina General Assembly ordered the first jail, along with stocks and a pillory, for the detention and punishment of offenders in the newly created Halifax district. In 1762, five inmates set fire to the jail, burned it to the ground, and escaped. In 1764, the assembly passed an act to replace it, and by the end of that year a new jail had been completed that remained in use until 1836. It held not only common criminals but also prisoners of war during the American Revolution, including Tories captured at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in 1776 and other Loyalists during the war. Its deterioration continued until 1836, when inmates, like those in the first jail, set it aflame; the culprits escaped but were soon caught, and at least one other prisoner died in the fire. The third jail was constructed in 1838 and designed to be fireproof.

Halifax, North Carolina · United States