Currituck County Historic Jail, Courthouse, and Confederate Monument, Maple, North Carolina

“An old building is like a show. You smell the soul of a building. And the building tells you how to redo it.”

Cameron Mackintosh

As Joe and I left the Outer Banks, we said farewell to that beautiful part of the state of North Carolina. We will miss it. We turned north and headed towards Virginia. We made a stop in the small town of Maple, North Carolina, which has a grand population of just over 700, to see the old historic jail. courthouse, and Confederate monument. Maple has been the county seat of Currituck County since 1723. The unusual name Currituck originates from an Algonquin Indian word and means, “Land of the wild goose”.

We pulled off highway 168 and drove up to the courthouse which sits near the Currituck Sound and parked our Jeep. There was no one around since we were here on a weekend. This brick two story courthouse was built in the 1700’s and replaced in 1840 and then later remodeled in 1898. Today it houses the county’s governmental administration offices.

The Currituck County Historic Jail is one of the four oldest jails in the state of North Carolina and sits right next door to the courthouse. The jail was built after getting legislative permission in 1767. It was burned down in 1808 and then later rebuilt in 1857.

This two story rectangular 32’ x 20’ brick jail had four rooms. Two rooms were upstairs and two were downstairs and the cells had wooden walls. In 1907 the wooden walls were replaced with 8’ x 6’ metal cells that looked like cages. They removed them in the 1950’s.

Barbara Snowden, a local historian is having the county research this jail and see if they can renovate it and make it into a museum and a tourist attraction. She states that before the Civil War the local prisoners who stayed here, were jailed with lunatics and runaway slaves. The only toiletries allowed in the early days was a slop bucket. It is hard to imagine the conditions they had to live doing that time.

The west wall of the jail was 3.5 feet thick while the east wall was 2 feet thick. They think that the thicker side was for more dangerous prisoners. One man, named Frazier Baker was jailed for three months in 1889 and fined $50 for fortification and adultery.

Up to two years ago, this historic jail served as the county board of elections.

In front of this historic jail is the Currituck County Confederate Monument which is a simple pink granite sphere that has been mounted on a copper setting with the dates 1861-1865 engraved on the side. This monument was built to memorialize the Confederates who served and died during the Civil War.

The cornerstone for this monument was placed on September 18, 1912 to coincide with an annual reunion of H. M Shaw Camp of Confederate Veterans. They wished to make this special day; an event with music and picnics. It wasn’t until 1923 that it was completed and dedicated because the money ran short after they completed the base. The original design was to add a Confederate Soldier to the top but it ended up having a simple granite sphere put on the top instead.

Around 1923, Joseph Palmer Knapp, who was a New York publisher offered to fund the completion of the monument. An article in the local paper “The Elizabeth City Independent” said it was a disgrace to local patriotism and Confederate heritage to have a northern pay for this Confederate monument. I wonder if that is why they didn’t continue with the idea of adding a Confederate soldier on top.

Before leaving, I noticed across the street was W. H. Snowden General Mercantile Store. It was not open and not sure it still is still open but I would love to know the story behind this store. I wish I could have gone in and explored. It appears the Snowden Family were very important people in this town. I saw where a Snowden served during the Civil War, roads named after them, as well as a cemetery in their name. If the museum gets approved for the Old Jail then people would know more of the history of this family and these historic buildings.

We had a nice stop here in the quaint area with but just a couple things to see. North Carolina is a gorgeous state and I’m glad we had time to spend just wandering around. Till next time. Bye for now.

“Stone walls do not a prison make,

Nor iron bars a cage,

Minds innocent and quiet take;

If I have freedom in my love

And in my soul am free,

Angels alone, that soar above,

Enjoy such liberty.

Richard Lovelace