Kent’s First Hoosegow

fine example of Italianate, Greek Revival architecture that stood for
well over 100 years at 124 West Day Street near downtown Kent. Construction of Kent’s first jail was commissioned in 1867 by the community’s first mayor, John Thompson. Two years later the building was complete. On August 10, 1978 the structure was added to the National Register
of Historic Places.

The jail was used for incarceration until the1930s and later served as home of the city's service director and engineer until the 1940s. After a period of vacancy,
it was purchased in 1950 and used as a private home by various owners until it
was moved in 1999 to make way for a Walgreen’s drug store.

Its status on the NRHP was lost when the building was moved, but the city, in cooperation with Fuller Design Group, succeeded in getting the old jail relisted, after undergoing an extensive restoration. Today it’s one of three known remaining small town jail buildings in eastern Ohio.

In the process of restoration it became evident that
the jail had contained three cells, each one without
windows and measured five feet by ten feet.
The vaulted ceilings provided inmates with plenty of headroom. A three-brick thickness separated each
cell from the one next to it.

It is owned by Kent Parks and Recreation
and is used as a rental spot for small gatherings.

Rates and Availability:
www.kentparksandrec.com