Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue awarded Putnam County with a OneGeorgia Grant Equity Award Wednesday to aid in the renovation of the Putnam County Old Jail in Eatonton and its establishment as the Central Georgia Judicial Museum.
The governor presented the $153,190 grant to Putnam County officials at Wednesday’s board meeting of OneGeorgia Authority. Better Hometown Eatonton is heading the museum project in conjunction with other sponsors, former BHE director Larry Moore said.
Baldwin, Greene, Jasper, Jones and Putnam counties as well as Georgia College & State University and Georgia Department of Public Safety partner to establish the museum. Ocmulgee Judicial Circuit Superior Court Judge William Prior and Georgia Supreme Court Justice Hugh P. Thompson have also pledged support, Moore said.
“We have had various donations from the five counties and state agencies that have been involved with the project, but that has been mainly for display items,” Moore said. “This money will be used on the physical renovations needed.”
The project will total nearly half a million dollars, he said.
The building alone is worth historical preservation, Moore said.
“The old classic jails of the south typically had jail cells on the second floor and the sheriff lived with his family on the first floor,” he said. “That was the case with the jail here.”
The Georgian-style building located near downtown was constructed in the 1930s and became a jail in 1939.
Plans are to keep the building in its original state as much as possible.
“There is still the original graffiti on the walls. Some of it is funny and a bit off color and some is not appropriate for young children,” Moore said.
The most offensive graffiti will be covered and only available for researchers to view, he said.
The museum will focus on Georgia’s judicial system and how it has changed over time.
“To my knowledge, there is not another museum in Georgia that does this. By making this museum about Georgia’s judicial system, it expands the educational benefits and opportunities,” Moore said.
Visitors of any age will find something to enjoy in the museum, Moore said.
“We want both children and adults to be exposed to what the judicial system was like in the past, especially in the rural South, and how it evolved into what it is today,” he said.
History permeates the old jail, and its stories are compelling, Moore said.
“There is a story about soldiers who stole fish from a fish trap down by the creek. They were hung on the spot and buried right there,” Moore said. “It was the wild west in those days. Now the judicial system is much more complex and is certainly much fairer.”
In addition to the work inside the building, there will be a restaurant with a jail theme and the gardens will be recreated.
“People used to come to Eatonton just to see the gardens,” Moore said.
Several museums are in the works in Eatonton, and Moore sees this museum as another draw to entice visitors to the county.
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Governor awards grant for Putnam’s Old Jail
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