1853 Log Jail
The Story of the Old Log Jail
The history of the old log jail is filled with color and mystery. The building served as a jail for seventeen years, from 1853-1870. It not only held county prisoners, it held territorial prisoners. The Territorial Penitentiary in Oregon City was burned shortly after it was built, which made it necessary to hold prisoners in county jails.
Behind the door two men died, one by his own hand, the other of natural causes after spending eighteen months there. He had been a fur trapper, respected citizen and prosperous farmer before he killed his wife and four children with an axe in a "delirium fit."
Drunks, thieves and violent offenders were the most common inmates. It was long believed that Ulysses S. Grant was once an inmate. Is there any truth to this story?
The Jail Becomes a Residence
In January of 1870 the jail and surrounding lots were sold to Riley Cave, the Justice of the Peace and a blacksmith, for $75 in gold coin.
Riley Cave was born March 5, 1841 at Platt Purchase, Missouri. He arrived in Washington County with his family in 1844. In 1868 he opened his blacksmith shop, and by 1887 he added a hardware store.
He married Melinda Boyd two years previous to purchasing the jail property, and he and his wife and their one year old daughter Lillian temporarily moved into the small jail building. They lived there while Riley built their house. Melinda gave birth to their second child, James, in the building.
Riley died in 1910, and Melinda lived in the nearby frame house until her death in 1937, at the age of 90.
Modern Times
The jail functioned as an outbuilding until 1953 when the property was sold and the house was torn down to make room for a business. The jail was moved from its original location to the County Fairgrounds. In 1985 the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and historical significance to the citizens of Washington County.
Over the years the old log jail began to deteriorate. The Washington County Historical Society and Museum took possession of the jail. The Society commissioned a professional timber conservator to restore the jail to its original condition and moved it to the museum facility. It is now safely preserved at the museum for future generations to view.
