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Old Jail Museum Tour in St Augustine

Price Starting From PP/Group

$18.09

(Ticket prices may vary. Final price shown on partner’s site upon redirect.)

Key Highlights

Total Views: 143
Tour Duration: 30 minutes (approx.)
Features: Free Cancellation / Free Parking / History Museums

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Step back in time and uncover the darker side of St. Augustine’s past with the Old Jail Museum Tour. Built in 1891 by Henry Flagler, this fortress-like jail once held some of the city’s most notorious inmates. Today, it stands as one of Florida’s most fascinating and chilling historic landmarks.

Guided by costumed “deputies,” you’ll explore original cells, the gallows, and the sheriff’s quarters — each filled with authentic stories and eerie atmosphere. You’ll hear tales of hard labor, daring escapes, and the rough life behind bars. The creaking floors, cold iron bars, and haunting echoes make history come alive in unforgettable ways.

This interactive tour blends education with entertainment, perfect for families, history lovers, and curious travelers. You’ll gain insight into 19th-century justice and the lives of both prisoners and lawmen. Whether you visit by day or join a ghostly night tour, the Old Jail Museum delivers a spine-tingling glimpse into St. Augustine’s gritty, legendary past.

Overview

Once a holding site for St. Augustine’s hardest criminals, the Old Jail Museum now offers visitors an educational look at life in the Nation’s Oldest City. Tour a maximum security area and regular cells alike that held prisoners until 1953, learning about fascinating historical accounts of criminal lives in St. Augustine as you go.

Read more about – Old Jail Museum Tour in St. Augustine

Places You’ll See

What to Expect

Hear the tales of infamous criminals who once stayed here
Learn how executions were held in the gallows
See where the warden and his family lived just footsteps away
Niche history tour in the Nation’s Oldest City

Itinerary

➢ Old Jail Museum

For nearly 60 years – until 1953 – the Old Jail served as the St. Johns County facility for petty thieves and hardened criminals. There were even eight recorded executions, two of which were accused murderers. Sim Jackson, who was hanged in 1908 after murdering his wife with a straight razor, is among the group. Today, visitors learn about the infamous Sheriff Perry, who served from 1889 until 1897 and again from 1901 until 1919. His stature as a “big, bold man” at 6’6” and weighing 300 pounds was intimidating even for the most hardcore of inmates. Though popular in the community, Perry was feared amongst cell inhabitants – both male and female – for his reputation of renting out prisoners to local farmers through a leasing system. Visitors can also take a look at the cell blocks, gallows and sheriff’s quarters. See where the sheriff, his wife and children lived, right upstairs from the prisoners, and how they used their own kitchen to prepare meals for the inmates. A tour through this attraction will show visitors what life was like as an inmate and how the Old Jail helped shape St. Augustine’s history.

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

➢ Historic Tours of America – St. Augustine

Experience is offered by Historic Tours of America

30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included