Old Gillett Jail

Located on Main Street in Gillett (Arkansas County), the Old Gillett Jail was constructed in 1922 and was in use until 1972. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 22, 2007.

Always a small town, Gillett saw its population peak in 1920, with more than 1,100 residents recorded in that year’s federal census. Industries in the town centered on timber-related businesses such as stave mills and sawmills. The town also served as an economic center for the farms in the area.

With Gillett located approximately eighteen miles from the Arkansas County Sheriff’s Office in DeWitt (Arkansas County), it was difficult to obtain law enforcement assistance or easily transport prisoners. In 1922, the town constructed a jail to house prisoners for short periods. Population decline, improved transportation, and economic considerations led to the eventual discontinuation of the use of the facility.

The jail is a single-story brick building topped with a metal roof. Located on Main Street, it is directly east of the Cleon Collier Memorial Library. The north-facing building is set back from the street and rests on a continuous concrete foundation. The jail has a gable roof topped with a brick chimney at the center of the gable. The entire structure is utilitarian in design and function.

Entry is gained via a centrally located metal door at the front. On each side of the door are single four-over-four windows with metal bars on the exterior. The sides of the building are similar, each containing a single four-over-four window, originally covered by bars. (The bars on the west side were removed to allow for the installation of an air conditioner.) The rear of the building contains two more four-over-four windows, each originally with metal bars.

The interior of the building is simple, with only three rooms. An entryway leads into the building, and the triangular room leads into the two cells, each built in a pentagon shape. Both the floor and ceiling are concrete, and the walls are plaster-covered brick.

Multi-hued red bricks are used in parts of the building, most notably around the windows and at the base of the walls. The windows also include concrete sills and lintels.

Only minor changes have been made over the decades to the structure; the roof was replaced in 2004 but is the same type as the original. The building is unused in the twenty-first century. The nearest jail currently in use is the Arkansas County Detention Facility in DeWitt.

For additional information:
“Old Gillett Jail.” National Register of Historic Places registration form. On file at Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Little Rock, Arkansas. Online at https://www.arkansasheritage.com/docs/default-source/national-registry/AR0212-pdf (accessed May 8, 2024).

David Sesser
Southeastern Louisiana University