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Old jail.

Old Town Jail

Field review by the editors.

Julian, California

Peer between iron bars of a doorway into a concrete, two-cell jail built in 1914. It replaced Julian's three previous wooden jails, which prisoners would escape by kicking through the walls.

The jail served mainly as an overnight lockup for the town's drunks and saloon brawlers. Only 17 feet long, the building was unheated -- and probably very cold at night -- but it did have one of Julian's first indoor toilets. It was closed in 1952.

The town had a soft spot for the old jail, preserving it. Despite its small size it was eventually deemed worthy enough to merit its own historical marker.

Old Town Jail

Julian Jail

Address:
1927 4th St., Julian, CA
Directions:
At the corner of C and 4th Sts, down an embankment.
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