Franklin County Jail
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Franklin County Historical Society–Kittochtinny (Franklin County Jail)
1818; c. 1860 altered. 175 E. King St.
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(Photograph by Mark Mones) -
(© George E. Thomas) -
(Photograph by Mark Mones)
The link between the outlying settlements and Philadelphia is apparent in this former jail that in its overall proportions and central cupola is based on Robert Smith's pre-Revolution Walnut Street Prison. The crowning feature, a giant weathervane in the form of a key, is an early intimation of the expression of purpose that would characterize nineteenth-century architecture. In most counties a jail was among the first structures to be built and was particularly important as the rule of law was extended into the unruly Scots-Irish frontier. The first floor of the jail contained the jailer's quarters, which are trimmed with the type of carving characteristic of German Pennsylvania near Lancaster. The present cornice is Victorian.
Writing Credits
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Data
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Location: Chambersburg, PennsylvaniaRegional Overviews:Styles:Materials:no metadata available
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Citation
George E. Thomas, "Franklin County Historical Society–Kittochtinny (Franklin County Jail)", [Chambersburg, Pennsylvania], SAH Archipedia, eds. Gabrielle Esperdy and Karen Kingsley, Charlottesville: UVaP, 2012—, http://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/PA-02-FR3.
Print Source
Buildings of Pennsylvania: Philadelphia and Eastern Pennsylvania, George E. Thomas, with Patricia Likos Ricci, Richard J. Webster, Lawrence M. Newman, Robert Janosov, and Bruce Thomas. Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2012, 382-382.
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