The tiny two room jail was built in 1911 by John Higgins on
property purchased from the estate of Thomas Johnston. The barn
behind the jail was constructed by Johnston in 1877. The facility
served as a sheriff's sub-station with an office and two small
cells until the mid-1960s. The cells were used essentially as
overnight holding cells for any prisoners awaiting transfer to the
Redwood City jail and as a place to sleep off a binge by local
citizens. In 1986 the County of San Mateo gave the building to the
City of Half Moon Bay. Under the city's sponsorship, the
Spanishtown Historical Society restored the jail to serve as a
historical museum in 1990.
Other points of historical interest in and around Half Moon Bay
can be found at
Half Moon Bay Coastside Chamber of Commerce: Coastside
History.
When this cache was placed, the groundskeeper was aware of it
and thought it was a great idea to draw more visitors to the
jail.
