Fascinating Florence County Jail – Blog Post #14 Camping in Michigan

I have to apologize once again for not blogging on Wednesday this week. I was bumming once again. Not sure what got into me this year, if it was the pandemic or what, but I have been out of town since May so many times that I can’t even keep track. 

And I also have to apologize that I am still boring you with our camping trip to the UP in July. If I would just get that over with, you could hear about all my other adventures.  

But today, I wanted to tell you about the third most fascinating thing I saw on this trip. (Number one was last week’s post about the birds and number 2 was Breakwater waterfalls.) 

  

You know how I love historic buildings, especially schools and courthouses. Across the border back in Wisconsin and the town of Florence, the County Courthouse is another one to add to the list.

But what makes it even better is the detached and recently restored Jailhouse. 

According to several signs on the property: James E Clancy, architect for the courthouse, also drew up the plans for a small jail. Built in 1889 for a cost of $4,000, it featured two steel cells for men and an iron cell for women. The county stopped using the jail in the 1930s. After years of disuse, an exterior renovation was completed, in 2006. It is one of only two remaining examples of this type of jail in Wisconsin. 

It sure gave me the willies walking into these cells. 

Click on these links for more information:

            https://sites.rootsweb.com/~wifloren/jail.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_County_Courthouse_and_Jail

            https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/WI-01-FL1