Chandler Jail

This Chandler Jail cell was originally located in the basement of Chandler City Hall. Purchased and installed in 1929, this setup was one that is common all across the state for this time period. Growing towns sometimes saw this as a better option rather than going with a concrete single-cell building. A perfect example of this is the Manchester Jail.

While there was another jail in Chandler, the Lincoln County Jail, there are a ton of stories on the “Chandler Jail” but for uncertainty on which jail they are referring to I will not include them here.

In the 1960s the town had grown so much more in population than it was 30 years before. Upgrades and improvements were needed for City Hall. Renovations were underway and it was decided to scrap the old jail cell in the basement. Mrs. Peggy Walker, who was a city employee, decided to save it. Whether she thought it was a piece of history at the time or just thought having a jail cell was a great conversation piece, she is to credit with this piece of Chandler’s history still being here.

For the next fifty years, the Chandler Jail passed from owner to owner. Eventually, it made its way to the Lincoln County Historical Society, which had displayed it at Williams Baseball Field for several years.

But having it near a bunch of children and with little upkeep caused the jail to deteriorate. Ultimately a committee was put together to assess the situation and see how best they could preserve the structure and turn it into a historical tourism site.

Finally, the project began in the Fall of 2016. Howard Dicman of Chandler Tire Center facilitated the transportation of the Chandler Jail to Service King in Stroud where it was restored and refinished.

What has been deemed “Calaboose Cliff” has restored the jail to its original location, now where the Chandler 911 Center is.

Gallery Below of Chandler Jail

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