The 1906 Turner County Jail operated from 1907 to 1993, when inmates rioted and flooded the structure, causing considerable damage to the historic interior.

In 1994, the building’s fate was placed in the hands of the Ashburn-Turner County Historic Preservation Commission, and in 1995 the project received an initial Georgia Heritage Grant for porch and window repairs.

Hours of volunteer work wire-brushing rust off of steel bars returned the second floor cells to their 1907 appearance.

Today, the jail building houses the Last Meal Café and the Crime and Punishment Museum, which illustrates the history of Georgia prisoners from the 1800s to the present. 

Read more about Turner County Jail's Excellence in Rehabilitation Preservation Award