Historic jail in Fincastle may have a new lease on life

One of Fincastle’s most iconic buildings may soon have a new lease on life.

The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing on a proposed lease agreement for the Old Jail, a late 1890s structure that is one of the town’s most beloved structures. The public hearing was held at the December 20, 2022 Board meeting at the Botetourt County Administration Building at the Botetourt Center at Greenfield in Amsterdam.

Jon Lanford, Assistant County Administrator, called the potential lease an “opportunity to redevelop” the Old Jail in conjunction with the Town of Fincastle and private parties interested in renovating the structure.

Donald and Caroline Naysmith, historic preservations who recently moved to the Fincastle area to raise cattle in the Flatwoods area, specialize in restoring Historic Register properties.

Caroline Naysmith said in a phone call the day after the Board meeting that the couple intends to put a gift shop in the lower level and use the upper stories as a museum.

“The jail is amazing,” she said. “It hasn’t been changed at all. That’s very attractive to us. It needs to be restored so that people can get into it and enjoy it. That’s what we’re hoping to do.”

She said she hopes to open the gift shop sometime next year, following renovations to the lower level.

The proposed lease would be for 40 years, which is a requirement for certain grants and historic structure credits. The lease would be $1 a month, according to the proposal.

The Naysmiths plan to cover all costs using private funds, grants, and historic credits. The project proposal lists three phases for renovation: a project planning phase, which would include a review and evaluation of the structure, a restoration phase for the first floor to include the start-up of a gift shop, and a restoration phase for the second and third floors and the cupola.

The Naysmiths own Cardon Development and Cardon Consulting, which are real estate development and consulting companies specializing in historic restoration. They have restored 17 separate structures in projects all over the eastern coast, including the Larimore House (circa 1857) in St. Louis, MO, Civilian Conservations Corps Camp S-90 (circa 1936) in Speculator, NY, and Burney House (circa 1934) and Allred House (circa 1903), both in Aberdeen, NC.

“This is an exciting opportunity to repurpose this asset,” Fincastle Mayor Mary Bess Smith told the supervisors. “The Old Jail is historically and architecturally important to the town, as is Courthouse Square.”

Supervisor Chairman Richard Bailey called the Naysmith’s proposal “perfect” in its timing, since the county is working redesigning the Botetourt County Courthouse and moving the James Breckinridge Law Office structure, which is one of the town’s oldest buildings.

The supervisors instructed legal staff to create a lease for their review at the January meeting.           

                                                     — Anita Firebaugh, Special to The Botetourt Bee; photo Cathy Benson