Montgomery Co. Jail & Sheriff's Residence Condition Assessment and Treatment Plan
Seven Generations AE. 2026. Montgomery Co. Jail & Sheriff's Residence Condition Assessment and Treatment Plan. Historic Structure Report. National Park Service. Interior Regions 3, 4, 5
The Montgomery County Jail and Sheriff’s Residence was built between 1881 and 1882 as the first operable example of the patented rotary jail. The rotary jail featured a rotating carousel of wedge-shaped cells inside a stationary cage of bars with a single door. The building was designed by Edgar J. Hodgson with input from William H. Brown, an architect and co-patentor of the rotary jail. Following a 1938 complaint by the fire marshal, the cellblock was welded in place, doors were cut into each cell, and a catwalk was installed around the upper level. The goal of the Condition Assessment and Treatment Plan is to present a brief site history, document a feature condition assessment, and recommend a conceptual level treatment plan to assist resource owners/stewards with prioritized rehabilitation repairs and best practices for building maintenance. Montgomery County Cultural Foundation was formed in 1975 to preserve and interpret the building as the Rotary Jail Museum. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2023. The NHL nomination identifies the property’s period of significance as 1882-1889.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Seven Generations AE
- Date of Issue
- 2026-07-31
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- HIST
- Keywords
- Edgar Hodgson, Indiana, jail, Montgomery County Cultural Foundation, National Historic Landmark, Rotary Jail, William Brown
- License
- Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 International