Old Clay County Jail

Old Clay County Jail

The Old Clay County Jail in Green Cove Springs, Florida, was built in 1894 by the Pauly Jail Company and is the second oldest, still-standing jail in the state. St. Augustine’s Old Jail is the oldest. It was constructed of one-foot-thick red brick walls, sixteen jail cells in various sizes, and a maximum security wing upstairs. The jail held men, women, juveniles, and the mentally ill.

The jail’s red brick exterior was painted white in 1963; however, the red brick showed through the white paint, making the jail appear pink. The sheriff had it repainted several times to match the other buildings in the courthouse complex.

The jailers, executioner, and their families lived in the building’s section that is now the Clay County Historical Archives. Several children were born here, including Jerri Knight Williams, the first female mayor of Green Cove Springs. Her father was William L. Knight, Chief Deputy for Sheriff John Preston Hall. Sheriff Hall is one of Florida’s longest-serving sheriffs, serving 36 years from 1928 to 1964. The Hinson brothers grew up in the jail and later became state death row prison guards. The Archives Reading Room was once the booking/dispatch room, and the Archives Specialist’s office was the jailer’s bedroom.

The prisoners were served decent meals that included fresh vegetables, eggs, meat, and coffee, all prepared by the jailer’s wife. However, the Old Clay County Jail was certainly not a place anyone would want to be. Behind the jail, there was a small sweatbox designated for troublemakers. This outdated method of punishment was once used for solitary confinement. With no air conditioning and minimal ventilation during the sweltering summer months, combined with the prevalence of disease and the cries of the mentally ill, the conditions in the jail were difficult for most inmates to endure.

Clay County Sheriffs’ End of Watch

Sheriff Josephus Peeler

Three sheriffs were killed in the line of duty between 1894 and 1913. On May 5, 1894, Clay County Sheriff Josephus Anderson Peeler was called out to a fight at the train station. When Sheriff Peeler arrived, he had to deal with two railroad workers. One of them was J.M. Boyett, who accused the other, J.K. Griffin, of getting Boyett fired. Apparently, Boyett had taken an unauthorized picnic lunch, and Griffin had snitched. Sherriff Peeler stepped between the two arguing men just as Boyett pulled a .32 Smith & Wesson revolver on Griffin, firing a shot into Peeler’s stomach instead.

Peeler was taken back to his home, where he was sedated with opiates. He had a gut wound—a death sentence in 1894. Sheriff Peeler did an extraordinarily selfless thing in the five days it took him to die. Peeler called in County Judge Christian Black and told the judge that the shooting was an accident and that he was not the intended target. He died on May 10, 1984. He was the first law enforcement officer in Clay County to die in the line of duty. He was also the first sheriff to work out of the then “new” 1984 Jail.

When Peeler’s funeral was held, all the businesses in Green Cove Springs closed for four hours to honor him. So, it was with this kind of community sentiment in mind that Boyett went on trial for first-degree murder. He was facing a life sentence. Thankfully for Boyett, Judge Christian Black testified to what the dying sheriff had said about there being no ill intent in the shooting. That’s all it took to make a jury deliberated 17 hours before coming back with a “not guilty” verdict. J.B. Boyett was the first and the last defendant accused of murdering a law enforcement officer in Clay County who got away with it.

Sheriff Charles Wilson

On July 10, 1906, Sheriff Charles Wilson attempted to arrest “a desperate negro character,” as described in The Miami News, on a train near Palatka, Florida, when the man drew a pistol and shot the sheriff dead. The suspect was shot and killed by a passenger on the train, although some sources state that it was the deputy sheriff who shot him down. Wilson had served as sheriff for 1.5 years and had previously served as marshal for Green Cove Springs.

Sheriff Theodore Cherry

Sheriff Theodore Sheldon Keen “Shelt” Cherry was shot and killed while interrogating a man holding a shotgun on July 6, 1913. The suspect fled the scene but was later shot and killed by a citizen posse. The body of Sheriff Cherry was brought back to the jail, and his body was laid on the floor of the booking room, which is today the archives. He had served as sheriff for two years.

Notable Arrests and Inmates

Orange Park Normal School

In the fall of 1896, teachers at the Orange Park Normal School were arrested for educating both white and black students together, despite segregation laws. The school, initially for black children, had garnered a strong reputation, attracting white students as well. William Sheats, the state’s racist superintendent of education, pushed for the charges. Sheriff Weeks reluctantly arrested the teachers. However, defense attorneys argued that the law was unconstitutionally vague and violated the Sixth Amendment. Judge Rhydon Call, a progressive figure for his time, agreed and dropped the charges.

The Mentally Ill

In the early 20th century, individuals with mental illness were often held in jail in Clay County, as there was no designated hospital to address their treatment needs at that time. M.L. was found to be incompetent, believing she was “conjured” and had “worms in her head.” S.B., a 70-year-old woman, told the court, “I am bewitched. I own all the land, and evil surrounds me,” while expressing thoughts of shooting anyone who approached her. Additionally, J.D. was classified as a “criminal sexual psychopath” and was sent to Chattahoochee for treatment.

Murderer Rufus Chesser

While not executed in Clay County, the crime was committed by 18-year-old Rufus Chesser in Green Cove Springs. His sister and brother-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Dilaberry, and Sally Boyles, whom Chesser thought was his girlfriend, went for a car ride. Chesser asked if he could join them but was refused. Enraged, he went home to fetch a shotgun and automobile and followed them.

The group stopped at Green Cove Springs when Chesser pulled up and begged Miss Boyle to leave the group and join him instead. He was refused once more. He purchased shotgun shells at a nearby store before following them again.

Dilaberry’s car had a flat tire outside of town and was repairing it when Chesser drove up. Without hesitation, he shot his brother-in-law in the back, killing him instantly. He then turned and fired a shot at Miss Boyle, wounding her as she ran from the car. She fell into a ditch as Chesser calmly reloaded his gun. While Boyle begged for her life, Chesser shot her again and killed her. He then shot at Mrs. Dilaberry as she ran into the woods, but the gun misfired.

Chesser returned home, where he was arrested and held in the jail in Palatka before his trial in Green Cove Springs. He was convicted and sentenced to death. He claimed innocence before being executed by electric chair at Raiford Prison on March 23, 1927.

Murderer John Urspruch

In March 1945, John Urspruch went AWOL from Camp Blanding, stole his Army-issued M1 rifle, and made his way to a local lover’s lane in Orange Park. He planned to steal a car and head back home to Hoboken, New Jersey. While there, he encountered Nathan Ledbetter, 66, and his companion Clara Jones, 67, who were sitting in Ledbetter’s car. Suddenly, shots rang out, striking Ledbetter in the face and Jones in the chest. Urspruch later admitted that he “lost his nerve” and turned himself in. During his trial, he attempted to claim self-defense, but the jury did not believe him, and he was sentenced to life in prison.

Executions

Seven executions were held on the site between 1894 and 1916. All were conducted at the gallows behind the jail by hanging. The giant oak trees on the lawn were saplings then and, despite popular belief, were not used for executions.

General Hollens was executed on December 10, 1897, for the October 20, 1897, murder of his wife, Mary Hollens, whose throat he cut with a razor. He was previously sentenced to death for attempted rape but was acquitted of all charges. Frank Richardson was hanged on July 18, 1902, for the rape of a “small negro girl.”

Rueben Reed was hanged on July 21, 1905, having confessed to robbing and murdering a black male with an axe and leaving the body by the railroad tracks and train station in Orange Park. He was quickly apprehended with blood on his clothes and the slain man’s money on him. Reed also confessed to the murder of a white man, which he was not arrested for.

On August 10, 1907, W.N. Smith bludgeoned Julia Dunsen to death and dumped her body in Bull Creek. He then went to his church, where he was a preacher, and “fought like a demon” against the law officers who came to arrest him. He was convicted in October 1907 of first-degree murder and was executed on February 28, 1908. A photo of Smith standing on the scaffold at the Clay County Archives is the only photo of any of the seven executions that took place at the Old Clay County Jail.

Abe Middleton was arrested for killing Robert West in April 1911. The incident started at a store run by Jones, where West and some boys tried to buy cider. After Jones refused to sell more, Middleton threatened to get his gun and later returned with the West brothers. A fight broke out, and as Middleton backed away, he fired a shot that fatally wounded West. Middleton was convicted and executed on July 7, 1912.

Escape Attempts

Several documented and attempted escapes from the jail have occurred throughout the decades. In August 1938, three prisoners escaped by sawing through the bars. Deputy Sheriff William L. Knight listed the fugitives as Gene Todd, sentenced to four months for carrying a concealed weapon; Henry Bell, awaiting trial on a charge of cattle theft; and George B. Masser, awaiting trial on a forgery charge.

In August 1958, George E. Austin, a 27-year-old from Jacksonville, was being held on a charge of drunkenness. He spent several hours arranging his escape. When he finally sawed away two bars in his cell and slid to the ground on a blanket-sheet rope where waiting officers hustled him off to a maximum-security cell.

In July 1963, two escapees from the state prison camp at Doctor’s Inlet were captured and brought to the Clay County Jail. Roy Yates Jr., a 20-year-old from Crestview who was serving a 7-year sentence for breaking and entering, and Joseph T. Tindall, a 24-year-old from Ocala serving 5 years for larceny, ran away from a road maintenance detail.  

On August 1, 1963, they escaped from the Clay County Jail after prying open their cell and assaulting jailer John Cercy with a piece of an automobile leaf spring. They stole $300 from Cercy and fled the scene. Officers later discovered tracks crossing U.S. Highway 17, and both men were soon captured without resistance.  Cercy sustained three deep gashes on his scalp and was taken to the hospital, where he was listed in satisfactory condition. On Monday, August 5, 1963, both prisoners pleaded guilty to the charges of assault and robbery, resulting in an additional 30 years added to their state prison sentences.

In 1964, Billy Joe Krebb was held at the Clay County Jail. He fashioned a key from a spoon, which he used to unlock his cell and other prisoners’ cells. However, the makeshift key was ineffective on the jail’s main front door, leaving the would-be escapees trapped. They were eventually returned to their cells.

Closure and Preservation

The Old Clay County Jail remained in operation until 1972. One reason local authorities approved funding for a modern jail was the 1963 escape. During the 1970s and 1980s, there was a nationwide prison construction boom and significant prison reforms.

Today, the Old Clay County Jail is the home of the Clay County Archives and Historical Resource Center. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 28, 1991, as a contributing structure of the Green Coves Springs Historic District.

Over the years, numerous rumors have suggested that the old jail is haunted. Local paranormal investigators have consistently reported capturing electronic voice phenomena (EVP) in the empty cells. They describe hearing voices, footsteps, shuffling sounds, and the creaking of cell doors. Their cameras have also recorded unexplained apparitions, and photographs have shown mysterious anomalies. The building gained significant attention when The Syfy Channel’s Ghost Hunters series filmed an episode that included both the jail and the 1890s courthouse.

The jail and museum are open to the public on Sundays from 2 pm to 5 pm. Be sure to call ahead to plan your visit.

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