Columbia County Jail

In February 1930, a contract for the construction of a new Columbia County Jail was awarded to C. A. O’Neil and J. M. O’Neil of Hope (Hempstead County) to replace the 1894 jail building. Architects Charles Thompson and Thomas Harding of Little Rock (Pulaski County) designed the new jail. Its location in Magnolia (Columbia County) is part of the original plat of the city that was done in 1853 and codified in 1900.

Construction of the new 5,200-square-foot jail began in November 1930 at the southwest corner of Jefferson and West Calhoun Streets at a cost of $48,900. Located only a few blocks from the Columbia County Courthouse at the center of the city square, the building has a legal address of 200 West Calhoun Street, even though it actually faces South Jefferson Street. It was completed in June 1931, with its first prisoners being transferred from the former jail building across the street later that month.

The two-story jail, which also has a basement, is designed in the Italian Renaissance architectural style that was prevalent at the time. As it is constructed with steel-reinforced concrete, the structure is fireproof. It is faced with cream-colored brick and has a terracotta tile hipped roof and metal-framed glass windows. The entrance portico has round arches supported by slender stone columns and gargoyles at its corners. Decorative metal lanterns once hung from the front corners of the building. There are no indications from the outside of the building that it served as a jail.

All but one of the jail cells are located on the second floor. The first floor includes one cell, a watchman’s living quarters, and a sheriff’s office. The basement is accessed by stairs on the south end. The second floor is accessed by a narrow stairwell with unusually steep steps on the west side of the building. The stairwell opens into a hallway lined by six cells, a dumbwaiter, a shower room, a storage area, and a dayroom.

Although the jail was still in use as late as December 22, 1982, when it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, it eventually became obsolete and was replaced by the current Columbia County Detention Center located west of Magnolia south of Highway 371. The old jail was sold by the county as surplus in 2006 and changed hands several times before being bought by Gina Blann of McNeil (Columbia County) in 2018 for $25,000, with plans announced to turn it into a boutique hotel; however, those plans had not materialized by 2025, with the building remaining unoccupied.

For additional information:
“Columbia County Jail.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-preservation/properties/national-registry (accessed September 17, 2025).

Kilgore, Nettie Hicks. History of Columbia County. N.p.: Southwest Arkansas Genealogical Society, 1976.

McNeill, Mike. “Owners of Old Columbia County Jail Want to Buy Lot across the Street.” Magnolia Reporter, March 2, 2020. https://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/local_news/article_afeb6286-5c5b-11ea-b0a0-1b779837db57.html (accessed September 17, 2025).

———. “Partnership Plans $800,000+ Makeover of Old Columbia County Jail as a 10-Room Hotel.” Magnolia Reporter, November 9, 2018. https://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/local_business/article_807314f0-e3de-11e8-82de-1306ed384a8c.html (accessed September 17, 2025).

Amy Staten McNeil
South Arkansas Heritage Museum