Historical Marker

Historic Stamping Ground Jail

OLD STAMPING GROUND JAIL Built ca. 1890, the brick, two-cell jail was used until the 1970s. The building survived three historic disasters. In 1916 and 1925, two intense fires destroyed most city buildings. On April 3, 1974, a tornado leveled more than 300 homes and buildings in Stamping Ground, yet the jail remained standing.

OLD STAMPING GROUND JAIL While it operated, many inmates maintained city streets to pay off fines. On September 18, 1899, Stamping Ground made national headlines when Town Marshal Charles Richard Duke was killed in the line of duty. The city’s first firehouse, built ca. 1938 to house a new fire truck, adjoins the jail. In memoriam of Charles Richard Duke (1854-1899)

Dedicated September 18, 2018.