Perhaps shouting about the low crime rate, this is advertised as the smallest police headquarters in the country. Now figure out where it is, and send your answer back to us at [email protected]. Be sure to tell us your hometown.
Kathryn Baskin of Sugar Hill wrote: “The photo looks like the old jail house in Lawrenceville, facing South. Perry Street. As I recall the prisoners were kept upstairs. I used to walk by it when I was a young girl when my cousin, Becky Holt and I would walk downtown to visit our grandfathers and ramble around town. We were not supposed to walk on that side of the road until we passed it. Those were good times.”
Sara Rawlins of Lawrenceville told us: “The mystery photo is of Gwinnett’s earliest jail. It housed short-term offenders for minor infractions as well as detainees for more serious offenses. The Sheriff not only was the arresting officer, but he was also the Warden. He had a little office in the building as well as a place to live with his family. The facility was constructed in 1819.”
Allan Peel of San Antonio, Tex. gave added information : “The photo was taken in 1953 facing South Perry Street at Luckie Street, near where the Gwinnett Bicentennial Plaza is currently located. According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, the county sheriff and his family would normally live in the jailhouse at the same time as it was used to detain prisoners. Sheriff Crawford Pittard and his family occupied the building during his tenure as sheriff between 1953 and 1960. They used three rooms on the ground level, as a kitchen, dining room, and living room, while male prisoners were kept on the second floor. The Pittard family also had a bedroom on the second floor, behind which were two women’s cells. The basement had a broiler room that was used to store contraband, such as liquor and slot machines. The jail was demolished in 1978.”…