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Appanoose County Museum and Old Jail, Centerville, IA

Photo: Jim Roberts, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Museums

Appanoose County Museum and Old Jail

A county museum site in Centerville combining a historic jail, an attached sheriff's residence, and a relocated 1850s log cabin.

201 N. 12th St., Centerville, Iowa 52544 · Centerville, IA

About Appanoose County Museum and Old Jail

This museum location includes the old county jail, the sheriff's residence attached to its east side, and the Joseph and Ailcey Bland Cabin, which dates to the 1850s. The residence was built by the county in 1871 and is among the oldest buildings on its street, which has since been regraded. The jail's interior recalls the darker chapters of county history and was used as a filming location for a 2003 movie. Steel cages and plumbing were added in 1904. The cabin was moved to the site in 1974 after being rediscovered and donated to the county historical society. The property is currently open to visitors only on a single annual event day, and the residence is in need of restoration funded by donations.

  • #county museum
  • #historic jail
  • #log cabin
  • #sheriff's residence
  • #Centerville

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