An old jail in McDonald County could be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation officials voted unanimously last week to push forward the Old McDonald County Jail as a list nomination.
The jail, located on 200 E. Third Street in Pineville, got the state's nod on March 20, according to McDonald County Historical Society officials.
Legwork conducted by McDonald County historians made a critical difference in the selection process.
"They were impressed with the extensive amount of research included in the application that was done by the Historical Society," Karen Dobbs, McDonald County Historical Society president, said in a news release.
"This is a big step forward but not the final one," she said. "The application and their recommendation now go to the Department of Interior for a final decision which could be forthcoming within the next couple of months."
Dobbs said the six-year extensive process first began by interviewing a former McDonald County Sheriff in 2014.
Lynn Tatum, who is part of a local history research team, said the old jail was built in 1904 and served the county until 1992.
When research first began, local history enthusiasts interviewed Lou Keeling, who served as sheriff from 1980 until 1992. Keeling personally moved the prisoners to the new jail on Christmas Day of 1992, Tatum said.
In 1980, the jail still had a dirt floor and an old woodstove that offered heat. The overcrowded building lacked air conditioning.
All the women were housed in a very small separate space.
Between 1980 and 1992, the concrete floor, bench and rectangular table were installed in the holding space. New plumbing also was installed, Tatum said.
As research team members gathered information, they were assisted by technical support at the state level. Together, they worked for six years to complete the application.
"Therefore, the Society has a great deal of research on early law enforcement in the county," Tatum said. "It was a labor of love and now all are hoping that in a couple of months, the Department of Interior will decide that the state was right in approving our nomination," she said.
The Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation is a group of historians, archaeologists, architects and citizens who work to preserve history.
The governor appoints council members, who work with the Department of Natural Resources' State Historic Preservation Office. That office administers the National Register of Historic Places program for Missouri.
Council members meet periodically to review Missouri property nominations to the National Register, the nation's honor roll of historic properties. Approved nominations are forwarded to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington, D.C., for final approval.
McDonald County currently has two properties on the National List of Historic Places, which include the old McDonald County Courthouse and the 1914 Powell Bridge.
General News on 03/26/2020