Wardensville Jail

Open Saturday 10 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Sunday Noon - 4 p.m.

A Small-Town Landmark with a Storied Past
Step back in time and experience the unique ambiance of the Wardensville Jail, which
housed prisoners from the 1930s through the 1950s. Few towns can claim a jail so conveniently
located that families could check in on incarcerated loved ones during an evening stroll down
Main Street.

Long before it served as a place of confinement, the building was home to a bustling
blacksmith shop operated by John Cline Sr. and his son, C.H. Cline, from the 1830s until
1895. Historical records show that Lot 2—where both the jail and the adjacent white house
now stand—was originally owned by John Cline, Sr., and has remained in the Cline family
ever since. Wardensville itself was founded in 1832, making the site a part of the town’s earliest
history.

Constructed from finely dressed stone and bound with lime mortar, the original structure
was built to last. Although the rear section eventually collapsed, the front portion remains
remarkably intact and sturdy enough, even today, to hold a prisoner.
Not without its share of humor, the jail earned a bit of local legend: thanks to its convenient
window placement, friends could pass bottles to inmates from the outside, often resulting in
prisoners emerging more inebriated than when they were locked up.

Open Courtesy of Margret Harrison
Location: Next to 164 West Main St., Wardensville