COCHRAN, Ga. — Every now and then you’ll come across something unusual on the market. The Bleckley County commission just put their old jail up for sale, which means you can bid to own it.
Some people have already put together creative ideas for the rusty cells. The old jail was built in the 1910s and has sat abandoned since 2006.
Commissioner Mike Davis has had to brush up on his jail history since the property went on the market so he could show potential owners all parts of the pokey.
“We do five or six tours a week,” he said. “We tell everybody when they come to that second floor [to] be careful and do not walk through that door.”
In the early years, the sheriff would live on the second floor, and there are other quirks.
“The piano comes with the jail. People would come down and play music for the prisoners,” he said.
The county doesn’t want to be chained to the jail anymore and Davis figures it could make money on the tax rolls instead of sitting vacant in Cochran.
“It’s an eyesore and it needs to be cleaned up. By selling this, maybe the person that buys it will beautify it,” he said.
Dana Dykes is one of the people considering a bid. She envisions converting it to a restaurant so you could have a sandwich in the slammer. The building itself is a novelty because it’s in the shape of a castle.
Some prospective buyers have chatted about making it a jail museum, and one bidder wants to use it as a training site. Davis says whatever the building becomes will breathe new life into the area.
“If it fails as a restaurant, it could be a haunted house in October,” said Dykes.
All sealed bids are due into the Bleckley County commissioners’ office by March 30. We’ll keep you updated on the progress.
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