Beauregard Parish Jail is a former jailhouse in DeRidder, Louisiana built in 1914 in the Gothic Revival architecture style. It is often referred to as the Gothic jail or the Hanging jail. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places

National Register of Historic Places

The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...

 on December 17, 1981. The jail is owned by the Beauregard Parish

Beauregard Parish, Louisiana

Beauregard Parish [p] is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Beauregard Parish was formed on 1 January 1913. The parish seat is DeRidder. As of 2000, the population was 32,986. Beauregard Parish is part of the DeRidder Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Fort Polk...

 Police Jury

Police Jury

In the U.S. state of Louisiana, the typical governing body of the parish is called the Police Jury. Not every parish is governed by a Police Jury, but 41 of the 64 parishes use this system....

. The Beauregard Parish Rehabilitation Committee serves under the direction of the Police Jury with the primary duties of the preservation of the jail. The Beauregard Tourist

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 Commission has a vested interest in the jail and other historic sites and has been involved in many aspects of securing a continued future of the jail.

History

The Hudson River Lumber Company donated a tract of land to the City of DeRidder for a courthouse and jail. The newly formed Beauregard Parish Police Jury, carved out of the old Imperial Calcasieu Parish, purchased the property and a building from the church. Stevens-Nelson of New Orleans designed a courthouse and jail. Falls City Construction Company was awarded the contract in September 1913. Both buildings were completed in 1915 at a cost of $168,000.

Notoriety

"J. J. Brevelle was a taxi driver who was murdered by his "fares" while taking them to a rural destination. Brevelle is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. The two men who were found guilty of his murder were hanged in the old parish jail on March 9, 1928. Deputy Sheriff Gill was the hangman. Joe Genna, age 25, was pronounced dead at 1:06 PM and Molton Brasseaux at 1:29 PM. Neither man was buried in Beauregard Parish."

It was after this incident, the Beauregard Parish Jail, sometimes referred to as the Gothic jail, also became known as the Hanging Jail

Culture

The structure not only made history because of its unique design but also because there was a toilet, shower, lavatory and window in each cell. A large spiral staircase gave access to each cell. Architectural historian Johnathan Fricker stated, "The old jail is unique in structure, it has the possible distinction of being the only penal institution in the country using "Collegiate Gothic" design in the first decade of the 20th century." The jail could "house" over 50 prisoners. There was a jailers' quarters on the bottom floor as well as a kitchen. There is a tunnel leading from the courthouse to the jail that was used to transport prisoners for trial.

Current

The building is currently not in use. Options are being explored as to current plans for the jail. On 2 August 2007, the Beauregard Tourist Commission submitted the building (noted as Beauregard Parish Jail "Gothic Jail") for inclusion in the Louisiana Preservation Alliance's annual Ten Most Endangered List. This will open new avenues for funding for the building. Negotiations are underway for the jail to be used in an up-coming movie.

External links

• City Of DeRidder.org
• Beauregard Parish History