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Date published: 2/19/2003
THE OLD JAIL at Spot- sylvania Courthouse is getting long-await- ed improvements. The 1855 jail, which was in service until 1943, will get a new second-floor door frame and door, a new gutter system and new second-floor window sills, said John LeFebre, chairperson of the bricks and mortar committee for the Spotsylvania Preservation Foundation Inc. The work is phase one of a SPFI-funded restoration of the jail that will also repair the chimney, the slate roof and the stair landing, LeFebre said. Five years ago, the nonprofit organization signed a memorandum of understanding with Spotsylvania County to lease the jail and refurbish it, said Caroline Hayden, who was SPFI president at the time and is now advocacy chairperson for the group. During that time, SPFI, made up of about 75 local families, researched the jail and drew up preliminary plans for the Old Jail, including architectural drawings and ways the county would eventually use the restored building. The jail will eventually house a museum area on the first floor, including exhibits on penal conditions during the 19th century, said Hayden. The second floor will be used as offices for SPFI. The Norman Co., which renovated the Lewis Store in Fredericksburg, is the contractor for this first phase of the project. Future stages, which are still being planned, will include further interior repair and restoration and will span several years, LeFebre said. They include placing protective shields over prisoner graffiti and exposing a massive iron ceiling grate separating the first and second floors, he said. Missing features such as window grates and cell troughs will be replaced, he said. Total cost should be in excess of $100,000, Hayden said. But this figure may change. "We can't have a precise number until we get further into the actual work," she said. Funding comes from SPFI fund-raisers such as the Easter Egg Roll--the third annual roll will be held April 12--the sales of Christmas ornaments, private donations and state funding. The jail will be open Memorial Day weekend. Visitors can schedule other times to see the jail by calling Bob Kurtinitis at 582-8016.
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