The Hamilton County Museum and Heritage Center is located in the Jasper High School Agriculture Building. This museum was created as e an educational museum, and no matter if you are a local or a visitor, you will learn something new each time you visit. The Museum offers a look into Hamilton County’s past. And you will see how agriculture was an instrumental part of forming Hamilton County into what it is today. We pay tribute to our men and women who have served in the United States Military. For more information email us at [email protected] or call Margaret Lewis at (386)792-1668. The Museum is open every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m.
313 Hatley St, Jasper, FL
Built in 1893, the Old Hamilton County Jail’s history made actual chilling headlines during its time as an active prison. This brick and steel structure was the last prison east of the Mississippi for the last three legal hangings (as verified by actual photographs in its museum). A prison stained with the atrocities of racial segregation, many historians have claimed that two African Americans and one Caucasian man were hanged from the tower. These hanging became a public spectacle, bringing throngs of local folks to watch the primitive executions. There were other deaths that occurred inside the jail. One woman allegedly committed suicide and another man was killed within its walls.
When the jail closed in 1984, it was the oldest operating jail in the state. Registered on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1983, today it serves as the Hamilton County Historical Society. This property is so well known for its haunts, that the NRHP’s nomination form mentions that the building has a haunted reputation within the local folklore.
The jail, per many witnesses and paranormal investigators, is haunted by the ghosts of its former residents. Staff all agree that the old jail is haunted because of the hangings that took place there, as well as the reported violence that occurred within the jail cells. Eerie disembodied voices and unusual noises and footsteps can be heard consistently. Shadow apparitions have also been reported. Tours are by appointment only.
Please call Renee Daigle (Hamilton County Historical Society President) to schedule your tour at (386)855-0852.