Washington County was formed on August 21, 1813

  In March, 1815 Lionel Browne was appointed to supervise the construction of a jail. It was a temporary one room, thirteen foot square hewed log structure near the public square in the original town of Potosi. It was used only a few years when it was abandoned.

The second jail, a small two-story brick building, was near the first courthouse.  During the early 1830's it was set on fire by a prisoner, destroying the jail and himself along with it.

A building that later became a private residence was used as jail until 1868.

Another jail was constructed in 1868. It was a one story brick building with iron cells, and was about 15 feet north of the 2nd courthouse on the same lot (High & Missouri Streets). This building was also burned by an insane prisoner, Joachim Bayer, early in the spring of 1893.

Built in 1893 & still houses the Washington County Sheriff's Dept.  A new modern addition (not pictured) built in 1988 now accommodates the jail.