Historic jail converted into an inviting home lists in Georgia for $500k. Take a look
A very comfortable home that’s hit the real estate market in Greenville, Georgia has a history that’s worthy of a Netflix series. You see, the now chic house, listed for $499,000, was once known as the Meriwether County Jail.
And, believe it or not, the jail has already left its footprint on the literary world along with Hollywood: it was the subject of the book “Murder in Coweta County” which was adapted into a TV movie starring Johnny Cash and Andy Griffith in 1983.
The main house, which served as the sheriff’s residence, has been restored into a livable, 1,400-square-foot, 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home.
“Enter the residence from the side after walking up the garden path to an inviting front porch,” the listing describes. “Once inside you are greeted by high ceilings, beautiful millwork, all the amenities of life today. The soaking tub on the main floor is amazing!”
And then, of course, there’s the 8,500-square-foot jail that current owner, Mariea Gosdin, hasn’t touched.
“It’s peeling paint, rust, steel, and concrete,” Gosdin said to Realtor. “The beds are still in there that the prisoners slept on. I don’t want to touch it,” she says. “It looks just like it did when they built it, and I don’t want to mess with it.”
In 2009, Gosdin said to Realtor that she paid only $5,000 for the property after she discovered that the county was going to vote to tear it down, but instead decided to accept closed bids. Gosdin was the only one to place a bid, and was awarded the historical jail.
This isn’t the first time Gosdin has put the property on the market, according to a Facebook post by “Forgotten Georgia” from 2017.
“Ghost hunters tell stories of gruesome crimes,” the post says. “Ex-guards remember an underground dungeon. So is the lore of the old Meriwether County jail.”
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 9:59 AM with the headline "Historic jail converted into an inviting home lists in Georgia for $500k. Take a look."