Tama County Jail

Toledo, United States

Not open to the public

On private land.

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The former Tama County Jail in Toledo, Iowa, built in 1870, is a two-story Italianate structure designed and constructed by local builder David Stoner. Commissioned by the county Board of Supervisors in 1869 and completed by year's end, the jail housed both cells and quarters for the sheriff and his family on the second floor, who served as jailers. A two-story addition was later appended to the rear in the late nineteenth century to accommodate expanding needs. The building fell into disuse after being condemned in the 1960s and closed in 1970, when the county resumed sending prisoners to neighboring jurisdictions. Now operated as the Tama County Historical Museum, the jail was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.