 History
In the spring of 1817, at the second meeting
of the first Board of County Commisioners,
it was ordered that a jail be built at Vernon. It would be a two story structure, 18' X 16', made of 12" square logs. The lower level was to have a floor of good timber, such as cherry, walnut, or oak. This wood floor was to have a stone floor under the timber. A 'hatch' door would allow entrance to the upper floor. This original jail was used until 1841.
A second jail building was completed in 1841, and was used for the next half century. On June 3, 1891 the "old" jail building was to be sold at the Auditor's office. The For Sale ad states, "the two story brick and stone building on the North-East corner of the public square". Terms of the sale required the buyer to pay cash and they had to remove all the debris within one year of the date of purchase. The purchaser was N. DeVersy. He paid the total sum of 12.00 for the building.
The first sheriff of Jennings County was Frederick Barrows. He was appointed to this office under the territorial government. When Jennings became a county and held its first elections, Morris Baker was elected sheriff.
Jennings County Sheriffs Past to Present
Frederick Barrows First Appointed Sheriff
Morris Baker First Elected Sheriff
Richard Stott (1826)
James E. Wilson (1842)
James Shields (1843-1844)
Isaiah Green (1843-1848)
David C. Jones (1849-1851)
Robert Elliott (1853-1854)
Silas Huckleberry (1855-1858)
James M. Dixon (1859-1861)
Samuel Dixon (1862)
George Hurmann (1862-1865)
Samuel Dixon (1864-1868)
Henry Hinchman (1868-1872)
William E. Wilson (1873-1876)
Norman Dixon (1876-1880)
Frederick W. Verbarg (1880-1884)
James H. Meek (1884-1888)
William Welker (1889-1892)
Isaac B. Stearns (1893-1894)
Harvey M. Bradford (1895-1898)
Charles Trapp (1898-1902)
James M. Orrell (1903-1904)
Albert Gautin (1905-1908)
John N. Dannell (1909-1912)
Clem V. Bridges (1913-1916)
James Huntington (1917-1920)
Albert Wilds (1921-1924)
Ray Hearne (1925-1928)
Wilber Banister (1929-1933)
Karl Bernhart (1933-1934)
Jesse James (1935-1938)
Charles Patton (1939-1942)
Conrad Hughes (1942-1946)
Howard James (1946-1950)
Charles K. Dudley (1950-1958)
Clyde W. Perkins (1959-1966)
Perry Cummings (1967-1974)
Harold "Soupy" Campbell (1975-1978)
Larry Downs (1979-1982)
Richard H. Wilson (1983-1990)
James Lamb (1991-1998)
Earl L. Taggart (1999-Present)
Special Thanks to: Mr.Cory Walker, Dorothy J. Bibb-Rice, Denise Shafer, and The Jennings County Historical Society for their contributions.
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