Old Jail in Fincastle is NOT going to be torn down

The Old Jail is not under review by the county for deconstruction.

In reaction to a recent Facebook post indicating that the Old Jail structure in Fincastle would be torn down, Amsterdam District Supervisor Steve Clinton said the Old Jail would remain standing as-is.

Clinton serves on the Monuments and Memorials Committee as well as the Courthouse Renovation Committee for Botetourt County. He said renovations of the Old Jail are “outside of the envelope of interest of the courthouse project” and the M&M Committee as well.

The Old Jail has been mentioned in committee meetings, Clinton said, but it is not part of any current county project.  “I think if there was any consensus, it was that we could never tear that thing down,” Clinton said. “It’s a beautiful building.”

The Old Jail could be revitalized, but it would take work. Clinton suggested a public-private partnership may eventually be a separate project that would involve ways to keep the Old Jail structure looking as picturesque as it does today.

The county eventually will have to do something about the Old Jail, but that is far in the future, Clinton said, unless some private person comes along with a great idea and the money to implement it.

“There is no support to demolish it,” he said.

                                                        — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee, Photo by Cathy Benson