County seat battles and the 1851 Mahoning County jail : an architectural analysis

Abstract

County jails are one of the most ubiquitous facilities of the American justice system, but historians have ignored them. In an attempt to address that gap, this thesis focused on the first county jail Mahoning County, Ohio, built in 1851. The 1851 jail was a key component of the county seat competitions that dated from 1796. The county seat battles became the defining moment of Mahoning County, as materialized in the courthouse and jail. An architectural analysis of the 1851 jail was used to understand the controversy and the place of the jail in American society. To establish the placement of a front entrance, for example, was to uncover local stories of defeat and triumph, \vhich took on greater meaning when located within their conm1Unity, county, and national contexts. Situated beside the courthouse, the 1851 jail gave substance to the authority of the government. Competition for that authority, begilming with the county seat contest. detennined local variations on traditional architecture, location and orientation, construction materials, and interior design of the county structures. Driving this research were these primary questions: what is a county jail, where is it located, what is its purpose, and how are its goals accomplished. The unusually intense and enduring county seat battles provided a unique window of knowledge that generated some intriguing answers. Mahoning County demonstrated that the county jail can be an agent of change.