Photo: Neillsville, Second County Jail (1882)
Poster: Loyal Public Library
The Old Jail of Clark County
Clark county has had three jails. The first was built in 1866. It was made of oak planks, laid flat and thickly studded with spikes; constructed by Hewett, Woods & Co. It cost $1,300, and was sold in 1881 to F. D. Lindsay, for $25. It was later bought and used by the city.
The picture below is of the second Jail. It was completed in 1882. The cost of it was borne by James O'Neill, Sr., James Hewett, Chauncey Blakesee and James Sturdevant, according to the Cooper history of 1918, they being "bondsmen of William C. Allen, defaulting county treasurer, in partial liquadation of the county's claim against them.
This second jail long stood on the site of the present jail building. The fact is, however that, in strict accuracy, this building should be called the sheriff's residence. The real jail was to the rear and was built of brick. The jail part was torn down in 1896 and the sheriff's residence was moved to its present location at the southwes corner of Fifth and Court Streets. There it is rendering service as an office and apartment building. (quoted from, "The Clark Co. Centenial, Book of Years", pg. 25)