From Historic Jail to Living History
Built in 1889, the Old Wilcox County Jail has witnessed generations of Wilcox County history. Now, the Wilcox Historical Society is working to give this landmark a new life—a place where the stories, people, and experiences that shaped Wilcox County can be preserved, shared, and discovered for generations to come.
Turning a Place of the Past Into a Place for Us All
For more than seventy years, the Old Wilcox County Jail stood at the center of county life, bearing witness to generations of change. Built in 1889 and now one of Alabama’s few surviving nineteenth-century county jails, its walls hold a complicated history; and yet, it is one that deserves to be preserved, understood, and shared rather than forgotten.
Now, we have the opportunity to transform a place once defined by confinement into a place of connection.
Restored as a living gallery and community space, the Old Jail will bring together photographs, artifacts, exhibitions, and stories reflecting the many people and experiences that shaped Wilcox County. Its next chapter will not be about what happened behind locked doors, but about opening those doors to history, education, and generations yet to come.
A New Chapter
in Our Community's Story
The Old Wilcox County Jail is ready for a new chapter; a chapter that transforms this historic landmark into a vibrant, shared space for exhibitions, education, gatherings, and discovery.
The successful restoration of the Beck-Miller-Bonner Law Office shows what preservation can accomplish, and together with the ambitious restoration of the Wilcox Female Institute, these projects can create lasting places where our entire community can gather, connect, and experience the stories of Wilcox County.