This location
The original building was a brick building with a stone foundation that was completed in 1851. It had a capacity of five prisoners. Renovations made around 1880 included installation of wooden doors, windows, a stairway, and wood floors. The building was expanded with a new stone exterior in 1937. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, when it was still in active use as Bledsoe County's jail, making it the oldest operating jail in Tennessee. At the time of its National Register listing, it had two stories and held up to nine prisoners.
Bledsoe County and the Sequatchie Valley
Bledsoe County is the oldest and northernmost county in the Sequatchie Valley. It became Tennessee’s thirty-third county by an act of the Tennessee legislature in November 1807 and was named for Anthony Bledsoe, a Revolutionary War patriot who migrated to Tennessee from Virginia in the late 1700s. The Sequatchie Valley was part of Cherokee lands until 1805, when the Cherokee ceded the area to the U.S. as part of the Third Treaty of Tellico. The valley was probably named after a Cherokee chief, but the name has also been rumored to mean "beautiful valley" in the Cherokee language.
The BledsoeGeo GeoTour
The BledsoeGeo GeoTour invites you to explore the history, outdoor adventure, great food, charming towns and spectacular views as you discover the stories and beauty of Bledsoe County and the Sequatchie Valley. Download your passport and begin your adventure here.