The stately stone buildings of Rockford: Part 2
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Porch Talk
Old Rock Jail
The historic Old Rock Jail, which sits at the corner of Jackson Street and the north side of Alabama Highway 22, stands as a towering symbol of early local law enforcement in Coosa County for nearly a century.
In 1839 Rockford became the county seat, and the Coosa County Court authorized bids for building a stone jail (the jail at the time was constructed of heavy logs). On August 15, 1842, the jail was completed of massive local stone blocks, each weighing between 400-650 pounds. The stones called “Rockford Granite” are stacked two thick, making the walls about 12 inches thick.
The building spans about 20 to 40 feet and includes features typical of the era such as iron-barred windows, doors, and a hipped roof with a chimney piercing one end.
Records reflect that the only legal hanging in Coosa County occurred in the Old Rock Jail during the term of W.M. Goggans as sheriff (1911-1919).
Being the oldest jail in the state gives it much deserved distinction, and it continues to stand as a cornerstone of local storytelling. There is only one report of a jailbreak when an inmate carefully scraped the mortar from around a stone until one day or night he pushed the stone free and escaped.
The jail was used until 1937 when a new jail was built and residents used the Old Rock Jail as a “Poor House” for a few years. The abandoned building was designated for demolition in the early 1970s. However, interested citizens organized the Coosa County Historical Society and began the work to have the Old Rock Jail placed on the Register of Historic Buildings.
The old jail’s preservation is a testament to the efforts of the Coosa County Historical Society to maintain the heritage of the county. Whether you are a history buff, a curious traveler, or simply passing through Rockford, the Old Rock Jail offers a lesson into a chapter of Rockford’s living heritage. There are even tails of a ghostly visitor supposedly by an inmate who committed suicide while being jailed.
The Coosa County Historical Society opens the jail on Sunday afternoons between the hours of 2 and 4 during the months of April, May, June, September, and October. (Sources: “The Heritage of Coosa County, Alabama”;, Articles submitted by Ben Carlton; Article by Mary George Teel; “Coosa News,” Article by Ellen Yarbrough.)
Rockford Women’s Club House
To travel approximately 120 feet north of the main intersection of Rockford stands the stone structure known as the Rockford Women’s Club House.
The Rockford Woman’s Federation Club was organized in February 1925, and the early programs provided were to promote education and improve social life for women and girls of the area. Some of the programs consisted of art lessons, musical programs, working with 4-H, teaching nutrition, and in 1930 the members sponsored the designation of the ladies’ restrooms in the courthouse building.
Also, in 1930 a lot was purchased from Mrs. Mary A. Williams with the decision made to build a clubhouse out of stone and concrete, so the Home Demonstration Agent secured the services of a Mr. Wilson, an architect from the Extension Service in Auburn, who sent the blueprint for the building.
Because the Depression hindered the progress of getting the new building off the ground, the women took pledges and construction began with a total building fund of $75.63, a lot of determination and a motto, “WE CAN IF WE WILL.”
Local landowners provided rocks, and all day rock gatherings began by hauling rocks to the site. It is told that a young boy and his Shetland pony with a wagon hauled the first load of rocks followed by three wagons and teams. Club members picked up the rocks and carried them to the road for easy access to the wagons.
The actual work of laying the foundation began November 17, 1932. Several club women were present and shoveled the first dirt.
The erection of the Women’s Club House can be contributed to many donations of materials from local merchants and merchants from surrounding areas. Labor came from local carpenters and families who donated their time. Even small children would hand rocks to the rock layers and stir mortar.
Pledges continued to be made which paid for materials, along with donations from outside firms doing business in the county. It was estimated that the total building cost was less than $800. The Women’s Club House was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage on March 13, 1996. (Source: Scrapbook I, Rockford Vicinity, Coosa Historical Folklore; “The Heritage of Coosa County, Alabama;” Club Minutes reported by Inez S. Warren)
