| City/Town: • Smithville |
| Location Class: • Jail |
| Built: • 1934 | Abandoned: • 1964 |
| Status: • Abandoned |
| Photojournalist: • Kevin Weaver Mary Buchanan |
Smithville Jail is hard to spot if you’re not looking for it, hidden across the street from the school it sits camouflaged by trees. Carved above the doorway is 1934, which is the year the jail was constructed. The small town approved the construction of the new jail on January 2nd of that year. It consists of concrete, stone, and steel bars for the small windows and door.
In 1964 McCurtain County underwent an investigation of the county’s jails all were found to be in good condition except for two. One of those jails being the Smithville jail, the condition was reportedly deplorable and unfit for human inhabitants. The door had to be kept shut using pieces of lumber, it lacked heat, electricity, sanitation facilities and lack of sleeping arrangements. It was advised that it immediately be condemned and abandoned.
Gallery Below
https://www.newspapers.com/image/587115841/?terms=smithville%20jail&match=1
https://www.newspapers.com/image/451533422/?terms=smithville%20jail&match=1
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