Georgia’s oldest jail once housed famous prisoner

Constructed of hand-hewn logs in around 1783, the tiny one-room Warthen Old Jail is still standing in Warthen, Georgia, about 65 miles southwest of Augusta.

A plaque on the jail placed by the Daughters of the American Revolution reads: “Site of First Washington County Jail – Erected 1783 of Logs – Aaron Burr Incarcerated Here 1807, En Route to Trial for Treason.”

It is believed that the Vice President stayed here for one night on his way back to Richmond in 1807 to be tried for treason, rather than for the murder of Alexander Hamilton. He was found not guilty and released.

– Jan Schroder, The Georgia 100