Colfax Jail, Colfax Louisiana

Date added: March 06, 2025

Categories:
Louisiana
Prison

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Grant Parish was named in honor of U.S., President Ulysses S. Grant, and Colfax, its parish seat, was named after President Grant's first Vice-President, Schuyler M. Colfax. Grant Parish was established in 1869, and was one of several parishes created during the Reconstruction era. The parish was created from a fusion of southern Winn Parish and northern Rapides Parish, and upon its establishment the population of Grant Parish was 4,515. Grant Parish also appointed parish officers within its founding year. A year later, in 1870, the parish held elections for Judge, Sheriff, and Clerk of Court. A postmaster was also appointed to the quiet, rural community of Colfax, and almost two decades later, in 1886, the people of Grant Parish voted to impose a tax to go towards the Colfax Jail.

The previous jail was a simple, wooden structure that the citizens of Grant Parish wanted to replace with a more modern and secure building. On August 23^rd, 1890, the local newspaper, the Colfax Chronicle, reported that Colfax would be building a new jail. This article also advertised that the parish would be taking bids for the Jail, which would cost no more than $3000. On September 6^th, 1890, it was announced that the contract to build the Jail was awarded to William Skeeles and J.C. Fletcher for the sum of $2,975.

The Jail was made out of unfired brick with thirteen-inch thick walls, and its dimensions were 24 x 38 feet. This space included three rooms on the first floor and one room on the second floor, just as the floor plan shows today. On March 18^th, 1893, it was reported that the Grant Parish Police Jury had reviewed its budget and did not have enough funds to complete the Jail, along with other projects in the parish. It was decided that the only further work to be done would be the basic necessities to complete the construction of the Jail. Another setback occurred when the Police Jury realized that the upper story would need to be equipped with cells. However, there were no openings in the Jail that were large enough to fit the cell cages through. Fortunately, this did not deter the contractors, as they removed the front door and dismantled a section of bricks on the front facade. This opened up a large enough space to fit the cell cages through, and into the Jail. However, another issue arose when the contractors had trouble getting the cells to the second floor. This required the builders to cut a hole into the upper story floor/lower story ceiling to haul the cells through. By April 1^st, 1893, the cells were properly installed, and Mr. Kip St. Andre had dug out an area where the Jail's cistern would be placed. On March 31^st, 1894, the Jail was completed and inspected by the Grant Parish Police Jury. The Colfax Chronicle released the following remarks from the Police Jury:

"We have examined the new jail, and especially viewed the new steel cages. They are very strong and workman like, and Grant can congratulate herself on having cages second to none in the State. Its conveniences are all modern, and it is well kept being both clean and of good ventilation".

On April 7^th, 1894, it was announced that Deputy William Teddlie ("Teddlie") would occupy the Jail as the Colfax Jailer. Teddlie also made some improvements to the Jail so that his wife and two children could live there as well. By May 19^th of the same year, Deputy William Teddlie had moved into the lower part of the Jail. Although the exact date that the parish stopped using the Jail to house offenders is unknown, the estimated stop date ranges anywhere from 1910 to 1920.

There are several other known uses of the Colfax Jail. In 1922, Sheriff Laney Clinton used it as a stable for his bull, and in 1934, the Police Jury offered the Jail to the American Legion Post No. 68 ('Legion') as a venue for its meetings. During this time, the Legion made many improvements such as adding a covered balcony around the northeast and northwest side. Also, the staircase was moved from its original location on the rear wall to its current position on the northeast facade, in order to allow access to the balcony. The Jail's windows were also enlarged to their present dimensions from the original 2½ feet square. During the Legion's ownership they shared the building with many other agencies, allowing the community to benefit greatly from the building.

From 1936 to 1937, the U.S. Army Corp Engineers worked to change the course of the Red River near Colfax. Throughout this endeavor, the Jail housed the engineers, working on the project, and the diversion of the Red River ultimately saved Colfax from caving into the river. It was at this time, that the ground floor of the Jail was covered with concrete, to make the space more habitable for the engineers. Later, in 1938, the Jail served the community by housing the Tri-State Demonstration Library Headquarters and was consequentially called "The Library" by the locals. The Head Librarian was Miss Elizabeth Cammock, who resigned from her position within the circulation department of the Cossitt Library in Memphis, Tennessee, to accept the new position in Colfax. The Jail served the community, yet again around 1945 when it was turned into a Health Unit. The Health Unit was run by Dr. Kendrick Taylor whose service influenced the healthcare that the parish has today. After the closing of the Health Unit, in 1968, the Grant Parish Council on Aging was in search of a domicile, thus the Jail was used to fill this need. The Legion relinquished its ownership to the agency, and this was the last known community use of the Colfax Jail.

Building Description

Located on the corner of 4^th Street and Faircloth Street in Colfax, Louisiana, the Colfax Jail is a two-story building constructed of red, unfired brick. The roof of the building is made from galvanized tin with a red brick chimney, while the structure rests upon a solid concrete foundation. The building is fenestrated by eight pane-less windows that were enlarged from their 2½ square feet to their present dimensions. Three doorways are located on three different sides of the building; however, no doors remain. The building has been relatively unaltered throughout the years while it hosted many public and government agencies. The basic structure has remained unscathed and has retained its original integrity and would be recognizable as the jail built in 1890-94.

The Colfax Jail is one of the oldest standing buildings within Grant Parish. Built in 1890-94, the Jail remains located upon the original construction site, at the corner of Fourth and Faircloth Street in Colfax, within Grant Parish, Louisiana. The Jail is a two-story building built out of handmade, red, unfired brick and sits on a concrete foundation. The exterior measurements of the Jail are 24 feet x 32 feet, with the building's interior area measuring 1,536 square feet.

A metal staircase located along the exterior of the northeast side of the Jail allows access from the ground to the second story. The building is crowned by a hipped roof, which is made of galvanized tin, with a brick chimney protruding from the top. The window openings are located on three sides of the building, and were enlarged from their 2½ square size to their current dimensions in 1934. There are three doorways, including the front and one on each side of the building, but no doors remain.

The Jail's front facade is made of red unfired* brick, and the walls are thirteen inches thick. The front facade has only one doorway that is centered between two windows. The original door was made of iron, and upon completion of the Jail in 1894, it was discovered that the steel cell cages being placed inside of the Jail were too large to fit through the doorway. To install the cell cages the front door was temporarily dismantled and the bricks around the door were removed. The bricks were re-laid and the door was rehung after the cages were installed. One section of brick above the door looks like it has been patched as the brick is redder than the rest of the brick. It is also possible that this section collapsed and was rebuilt using the same or similar bricks, but was not whitewashed to match the rest of the building. The cornice line of the building is a simple dentilated band.

The northeast facade of the building faces Faircloth Street and is very simple. There are neither windows nor doors, and it is made completely of red, unfired brick. Metal stairs, located on the northeast facade lead to the second story, which is only accessible by the exterior staircase. The entrance from the staircase to the second floor of the Jail is located around the corner on the rear, southeast facade of the building. A large rectangular section in the center of the wall is a brighter red that was patched at some point.

The southeast facade of the building faces the Colfax City Cemetery and is fenestrated by two windows on the bottom story and an entrance from an exterior staircase on the second story. Both windows were enlarged from the original 2½ square feet to their current dimensions, by the American Legion in 1934. The second-story entryway is available via the exterior stairway which is located around the corner, on the northeast side. This facade is also made out of red, unfired brick.

The southwest facade of the building is comprised of red, unfired brick interrupted by three windows on the second floor and one window and doorway on the first floor. This facade also faces the Colfax City Cemetery. The first and second-floor windows were also enlarged from their original size to their current dimensions in 1934, by the American Legion. The chimney is located on the southwest side of the roof, and the doorway is boarded up as there is, currently, no door.

The interior of the Jail has not changed throughout the years, as while it has served many uses in the community, the thick brick walls are not exactly easy to alter. Originally, the ground level of the Jail housed the deputy, while the upper level housed offenders. The original fireplace is still located on the bottom floor of the southwest wall, and the original brick remains situated upon the original foundation of the Jail. The ceiling on the interior is wooden boards and the walls are painted brick. The doorways on the first floor that lead to two smaller rooms have very thick frames, as thick as the exterior walls. The second-floor interior is one large open room with a board ceiling and a cutout in the wall along the northeast side. At some point in history, this may have been converted to a window or just needed to be patched. The main changes have been the expansion of the window openings, which is thought to have been done in the 1930s and then infilled with aluminum windows in the 1950s or 1960s.