A brick structure was added on to the rear of the original jail in 1907, to house chain gangs who worked on roads, sewers, and other public projects.

The jail consisted of six upstairs and six downstairs cells, with two-foot thick walls of limestone blocks.

[3] Some of the crimes charged upon its prisoners prior to the Civil War included: horse racing on public streets, firing guns in town, operating a gaming house, assault and battery, disturbing the peace, disturbing a religious meeting, or building a privy "not over a pit".

[3] During the American Civil War, the jail held both military and civilian prisoners, and was the U.S. Provost Marshal's office.

William Clark Quantrill, the famous Confederate guerrilla leader, was briefly incarcerated there, as were those who refused to take a pro-Union loyalty oath.