About

Built in 1828, the stone jail was designed by John Hartwell Cocke and its construction managed by John G. Hughes and Richard McCary. Skilled brick and stone masons enslaved by John Hartwell Cocke of Bremo, likely including Peyton Skipwith and Charles Moss, built the structure.

In the 1950s, when the building was no longer in use as a jail, a group of history-interested residents started a project to convert the jail to a museum of the county's history. In 1957 Virginia Jones Snead and other dedicated workers opened the first displays to the public.

In 1964 the Old Stone Jail Museum opened permanently, filled with artifacts of local historic interest curated into exhibits on different facets of the county's history.

The Old Stone Jail Museum is owned by the County of Fluvanna but is operated by the Fluvanna Historical Society which owns and curates the artifacts. Email fluvannahistory@gmail.com or call 434.589.7910 to schedule a tour.