THE JAILHOUSE PLAZA
This cut-away view off the second Berrien County jail illustrates the
building’s unique features. The cells on both floors were arranged in a circle in the
center of the building. This created a "jail within a jail." If prisoners
somehow got out of their cells, they were still contained within the building. A pump and
a bathtub were located in the center of the circle created by the cells for the use of the
prisoners. This central circle was open through both floors. A ventilator and skylight
located on the roof allowed light and air to penetrate the center of the building.
The cell area was connected directly to the house for the sheriff and his family. The
sheriff’s office was located on the first floor and the Sheriff’s wife served as
jail matron. Members of the County Board of Supervisors took great pride in their new
jail, which they regarded as representing a most progressive design for its day.
By the late 1860s, the small wooden jail constructed in 1838 no longer met Berrien
County’s needs. In 1866, the Board of Supervisors again called on architect Gilbert
Avery to design a jail with an adjoining sheriff’s residence.
Avery produced a very progressive design for the period, enclosing a circular block of
cells within a square two-story brick building. The sixteen first-floor cells, each
roughly pie-shaped, boasted limestone walls and floors. Strong iron bars and solid iron
doors confined male prisoners. The second floor held eight larger cells intended for
women, boys, and "less desperate characters." Topped by a skylight and
ventilator, the buildings center core extended through both floors.
A pump and bathtub for the prisoners stood in the center of the first floor,
illuminated by the skylight. A 700-barrel cistern collected rainwater to supply the bath.
Despite the jail’s progressive design, prisoners sometimes escaped. On one
occasion in 1883, eight prisoners pumped water out of the cistern in the center of the
building, climbed inside and tunneled under the outside wall. The sheriff recaptured all
but one prisoner. The jail tunnel became a short-lived tourist attraction, with one Niles
woman seen heading home with a handful of tunnel earth.
After the removal of the county seat to St. Joseph, the jail fell into disuse and was
demolished. In 1992, construction began on an outdoor interpretive plaza located on the
jail site. The low brick wall, constructed at seating height, defines the building’s
exterior dimensions. A protective layer of concrete now covers the circular foundation of
the first-floor cells. Rebuilt to their original dimensions, two cells allow visitors to
experience the constraints of living "behind bars" in the old county jail.
THE SHERIFF’S RESIDENCE
Built 1869-1870 as part of the county jail project, an Italianate brick house was built
for the county sheriff and his family. The county provided the house in exchange for the
sheriff assuming responsibility for administering the courthouse square and his wife
serving as jail matron.
The sheriff’s office, located on the right as you enter the front door, now recreates the room’s appearance during the 1870s. Other first-floor rooms, which now function as the Museum Store, served as a front parlor and dining room. Bedrooms were located upstairs and the spaces are now museum offices. The rear wing contained a large kitchen where the sheriff’s wife and domestic servants prepared meals for both her family and the prisoners. This portion of the structure is now used for collections and archival storage.
COUNTY RECORDS BUILDING
The 1839 Courthouse Square contains examples of two of the most popular architectural
styles of the 19th century. In addition to public buildings like courthouses,
the Greek Revival style was adapted for private homes and commercial buildings. The Pears
Mill in Buchanan, Michigan, for example, was built in the Greek Revival style. For
Americans proud of their new state and relatively new nation, this style linked both to
the birthplace of democracy—ancient Greece.
By the mid-19th century, the Greek Revival had been displaced by the
Italianate as the most popular architectural style in America. With its low-pitched roof,
decorative brackets and rounded window hoods, the 1873 addition to the Berrien County
Records Building serves as a fine example of an Italianate building. This style held
allusions to the land of art and culture—Italy. Through the architecture on the
courthouse square, the citizens of Berrien County communicated that their corner of the
world possessed the culture and sophistication spawned in a burgeoning democracy.
The courthouse basement originally housed county offices and records storage. The
county government soon outgrew these quarters. In 1859, the board of supervisors
commissioned Gilbert Avery, the courthouse architect, to design a new fire-proof office
building. Avery designed a one-story brick structure with slate floors and roof, then
supervised its construction himself when the original contractor encountered difficulties
with the project. A large two-story addition to the building, designed by an unknown
architect, was completed in 1873.
After the county seat was moved to St. Joseph in 1894, the records building saw a
variety of uses, including serving as a laundromat and low-income apartments. The
Historical Association plans to restore this structure in the future for use as exhibition
and collection storage space.
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