Spirited tour guides dressed as prisoners, an animatronic sheriff, a gallows resting nonchalantly at the back of the property, on a rather residential street: the Old Jail offers a rather strange form of a museum, and one that was not easy to forget. This place was really great for all ages. Visitors are "processed" as prisoners in the early 1900's, when Flagler built the jail (so beautifully, in fact, that many arriving by train thought it to be the famous Ponce de Leon hotel). Its attractive pink exterior belies the horrid conditions inside. Kids would like the presentation and kidding of the tour guide, but adults will enjoy reading the posters and old newspaper articles on the walls of the terrible conditions the prisoners were subjected to, just a few feet from where the Sheriff lived with his wife and family in the same building, only a kitchen between them. This stop provides a great and memorable snapshot of life in the Flagler era, as demonstrated in the sheriff's quarters and stories told by the guide. There is also an incredibly interesting display of guns confiscated from prisoners, and tools/weapons that were confiscated that had been fashioned by prisoners while they were in jail. You will see every room of the house/jail, with the opportunity to wander at your will after the tour is over. Left alone, however, it gets a little too creepy. A lot of fun!
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