The Old Jail Museum on Milstead Avenue, the headquarters of the Rockdale County Historical Society, not only exhibits many fascinating artifacts that give a peek into the fabric of everyday life in Rockdale centuries ago as a mill and agricultural society, but is also an important piece of Rockdale history itself.

It was built in 1897, was used all the way up until 1969 and served as the living quarters of the sheriff and his family in one part of the building. Peep holes allowed the sheriff to peer in from the living quarters of the building to the jail portion of the building.

The upstairs jail section held three rooms, one with a large cell that served as a "drunk tank," another room with four steel cells and a room with a trap door "hanging hole." One man was executed there in 1905 after being convicted of murdering his wife.
The building was abandoned in 1969 after the new county jail was built and renovated in 1976 and again several years ago. It reopened in 2007 and is now open to the public on the first Saturday of each month from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The society is also participating in the "This Place Matters" campaign with the National Trust for Historic Preservation. For more information, call (770) 483-3715.