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CLEAR Temp: 90 °F Wind: NW at 10 mph Friday, August 29, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine Joy Magazine Tempo A & E RogueValleyAutoFinder RogueValleyHomeFinder Real Estate Showcase Wellness Connection Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Employment Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend August 5, 2003 Phoenix Police Chief Bob Kershaw takes a look inside Phoenix�s first jail � a steel cage the Phoenix Historical Society wants to move to its site. �This is the closest I�ve ever been to being in jail,� Kershaw jokes. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Old city jail finds new home By TONY BOOM Mail Tribune PHOENIX — The 100-year-old city jail is on the move again, this time to what may be a final resting place next to the Phoenix Historical Society’s building. The jail, about 8-by-10 feet and 8 feet high, is made of metal straps welded together. There’s no roof on the structure except the straps, and two bunks fold down from the wall. City Administrator Don Walker compares it a giant gerbil cage. "You talk about primitive, it’s unbelievable," said Walker. "You just can’t imagine that was a jail." Advertisement The move of the jail coincides with the historical society’s plans to more than double the size of its building at 607 N. Church St. Councilman Otto Caster said the jail structure probably dates from the 1890s. Caster, who moved to Phoenix in 1942 from a farm on North Phoenix Road, said he first saw it in the late 1930s. He’s uncertain when its use was discontinued, but said it was halted when state regulations required presence of a jail-keeper at all times. The jail was used only for short sentences of no more than one day, Caster said. Individuals who needed to be imprisoned for longer times were transferred to the county jail. Walker speculates that prisoners were probably left in the cell alone and that there was no roof to protect them. Caster said an individual might have been called to watch the prisoners until they were released. Phoenix’s Public Works Department will move the jail from its current site behind City Hall. The jail has been in several locations. It was originally located next to Bear Creek in the vicinity of Phoenix Pharmacy, where it was placed over a spring so that prisoners had water, Caster said. Later the jail was moved to a site on Second Street that now holds the fire hall and library. At that time it was incorporated into a combined public works and police building. It was moved to the current site more than 20 years ago when the building that housed it was demolished, Caster said. The jail move comes during a time of expansion by the historical society, which moved its museum to the Pioneer Cemetery last year from behind the library. The society will seek a conditional use permit at the city’s Planning Commission meeting Monday to construct an addition that would increase its building from less than 500 square feet to more than 1,200 square feet. The society has most of the funds on hand for the construction, said Dorothy Claflin, who leads the museum’s volunteer staff. The addition will be constructed to match the museum’s style. The addition’s cost is estimated at $20,000 to $25,000, said project coordinator Mike McKey. Contractors will do the concrete, insulation, electrical and roof work. Volunteers will do the rest. Construction should start in mid-September. Besides the display area, the museum will gain a storage room, handicapped-accessible restroom and an area to prepare refreshments. Currently, the museum can accept only very small artifacts because of limited space. "We’ve got so many other donations that people want to give us," said McKey. "But we just don’t have the space for them." Reach Ashland bureau reporter Tony Boom at 482-4651, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times