Exploring the 1899 historic Ripley County Jail, Sheriff's Office and Residence Building in Doniphan, Missouri

Ripley County Jail, Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff's Residence in Ripley County, Missouri.Photo byJon Roanhaus, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

On April 5, 1991, the Ripley County Jail, Sheriff's Office, and Sheriff's Residence building were added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). This building has also been referred to as the Hancock Building. This jail and sheriff's residence are historic and located at Courthouse Circle in Doniphan, Missouri (Ripley County).

This historic building was constructed in 1899 and includes a two-story section in front with a one-story section in the rear of the building which was the sheriff's office and jail. The residence is in the front section. The building is on a limestone foundation and the walls are made of brick. The sheriff's office and residence were in this building until 1960.

When the building was constructed, of course, there wasn't any electricity, so the labor was performed manually. This included making bricks. On the ground floor of the sheriff's residence were a living room, kitchen and pantry, dining room, study, and washroom. In the back, there was a hall that led to the sheriff's office, and behind that were three cells. was a door leading to the jail. On the second floor were the bedrooms and bathroom. It was a while before there was running water in the building.

The jail was the county's first detention facility and it served as such from the time it was built until 1960. During the period in which it was built, it was common in the late 1800s to have the sheriff's residence with a jail in one facility. At the time this building was being nominated for the NRHP, there were nine of these combination jails and sheriff's residences in Missouri added to the NRHP.

Doniphan was first settled by George Lee from Virginia around 1830. When Doniphan became the county seat for Ripley County, 21 acres for the site of the building was donated by Lee. In 1847, the town was platted and a log courthouse was built in 1848. During the Civil War, Union troops burned the store and the log courthouse.

The site of that courthouse contained a blacksmith shop once the Civil War ended. In 1871, a brick courthouse was built. At that time, there wasn't a separate building for a jail. The sheriff's role was chiefly a tax collector and an office was used by sheriffs at the courthouse. Sheriffs weren't considered law enforcement. Eventually, the lot of the old log courthouse was purchased by Ripley County in November 1898.

On January 1, 1898, the courthouse was destroyed by fire. Not long after that, a new courthouse and separate jail, sheriff's office, and sheriff's residence were proposed on a bond issue which was approved.

Architect William F. Schrage was retained to design the building. Marion L. Hudson opened a two-kiln brickyard furnishing bricks for both buildings. The main supplier of wood was the Doniphan Lumber Company. The buildings were completed in May 1899. At the time, the Ripley County Sheriff was William Merrell and he and his family moved into the new combination building. As was the case in other facilities like this, the sheriff's wife cooked the meals and served the prisoners. If the wife wasn't available, then the sheriff cooked or purchased restaurant meals at his expense.

If a prisoner had a court appearance, they were escorted across the street. The sheriff also served as the bailiff. Prisoners had to wash their own laundry. Their bedding was usually washed by the sheriff's wife. During the winter months, wood or coal was used as a heat source for the building--there was no such thing as central heating back then. Throughout the year, prisoners would bring in wood or coal. It was either used for heating or for cooking. The sheriff or his family would have to maintain the fire at night.

In 1960, Ripley County built a new jail building. The other one was sold to a man who operated a hardware store in it until 1971. At that time, a new owner operated a plumbing supply store in the building. In 1976, an attorney purchased the building and ran a law practice in part of it. The attorney, Daniel Hancock, restored the building and his office was housed there until he died.

According to the nomination form for the NRHP, in 1988, Current River Investments purchased the property for office space.

For more history in Doniphan, read Randolph Columbus Barrett House in Doniphan, Missouri, a town that has some interesting history.

Thanks for reading.