Port Tobacco in Charles County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Port Tobacco Jail
(Text box for two images of Port Tobacco. One is about a century old and the other is contemporary.)
The Port Tobacco jail is revealed in the image below after the center portion of the courthouse was burned in August 1892. To the right shows the reconstructed courthouse today.
(Text box for image showing five artifacts)
Artifacts found from recent archaeological testing provide clues to the material culture of the jail occupants.
(Text box for image of a fireplace, which is identified as the "Jail at Lancaster Courthouse, part of the Mary Ball Washington Museum & Library, Lancaster, VA.)
The 1860 jail had fireplaces in each cell and sash windows with bars. Rings were mounted in the floor and walls to restrain prisoners if necessary. The cell was
(Text box for image of the exterior of Burch House in Port Tobacco.)
The last jailer was Washington Burch, an African American, whose house you can see in the southern part of the town. Burch would attend to the prisoners by providing basic food and drink and ensuring the jail's overall cleanliness.
(Text box for two logos.)
This panel was sponsored by the Port Tobacco River Conservancy and funded by the Charles County Government, Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
Erected by Port Tobacco River Conservancy & the Charles County Government, Department of Recreation, Parks and Tourism.
Location. 38° 30.65′ N, 77° 1.267′ W. Marker is in Port Tobacco, Maryland, in Charles County. Marker can be reached from Commerce St 0.2 miles west of Chapel Point Road. Touch for map. Start at front doors of the Port Tobacco Courthouse. Walk 50 feet south to the small cemetery. Then walk 200 feet west to reach the marker. Marker is at or near this postal address: 8430 Commerce St, Port Tobacco MD 20677, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Port Tobacco Commerce (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Port Tobacco: Conspiracy & the Plot to Assassinate President Lincoln Port Tobacco (about 400 feet away); John Wilkes Booth (about 400 feet away); On to Yorktown (about 400 feet away); St. Columba Masonic Lodge (about 400 feet away); a different marker also named Port Tobacco (approx. 0.3 miles away); Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer (approx. 0.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Port Tobacco.
Also see . . .
1. Port Tobacco Jail, Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties. (Submitted on January 21, 2019.)
2. Port Tobacco Historic District, Maryland's Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties. (Submitted on January 21, 2019.)
3. Port Tobacco Historic District, Maryland's National Register Properties. (Submitted on January 21, 2019.)
Categories. • African Americans • Law Enforcement •
Credits. This page was last revised on January 31, 2019. This page originally submitted on January 21, 2019. This page has been viewed 47 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 21, 2019. 5. submitted on January 21, 2019, by David Lassman of Waldorf, Maryland. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.