Here on San Marco Avenue in St. Augustine is the Old Jail, designed and built in 1891. This building was designed and constructed in 1891 by the P.J. Pauley Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri, and its construction was financed by Henry Flagler, who struck a deal with St. Johns County for $10,000 because the former jail stood on land Flagler needed for the construction of his Ponce de León Hotel. The Old Jail served as the St. Johns County Jail until 1953, after which the county moved its facilities and the vacant building was sold to entrepreneur Henry "Slim" McDaniel, who operated it as a roadside tourist attraction.
On August 27, 1987, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, and today it serves as the Old Jail Museum. Originally built to house up to 72 prisoners, the two-story northern wing contains a general population and maximum security area, a women's section, and a lower level. Picture Henry Flagler striking his $10,000 deal with St. Johns County so he could clear ground for the Ponce de León Hotel, and the up to 72 prisoners this jail once held.