After several years of discussion, the demolition of the 1914 jail house in Eastville is ready to happen.
At the October 10th Board of Supervisors meeting, Chris Thomas, county engineer, went over the bids received for demolition of the 1914 jail. However, it turns out that due to its historic nature, the materials that make up the jail may be very valuable.
The Northampton County Historical Society has presented a list of items they wanted to retain from the jail including the large system of Alcatraz style locking cell doors, bunk beds, book cases, and two security doors. A recent segment of the show Antiques Road Show featured similar cell doors, which were valued at close to $10,000.
The bids received thus far appear to be low, leading some to believe that the contractors were hoping to sell off the spoils of the salvage effort on the open market.
Two bids have been received, one from CM Munden, LLC for $44, 265.00, and $36, 172 by Macsons, Inc.
Munden stated it would remove the list of historical items for $7,600. Macson will charge $12,000 for the removal.
The Town of Eastville has agreed to pay anything over $30,000 for the demolition, due to its failure to meet its contractual commitment with the county to rehabilitate the jail.
During discussion, Chairman Murray remarked that the bids were much lower than expected and thought that there must be value in something in that jail, maybe even “in the bricks”. Bricks from historic structures have been known to sell for over $10 each.
The consensus of the board was made to meet with the Town of Eastville representatives before approving any of the bids.
About the Author
That stuff belongs to the citizens of Northampton County. A government(federal, state, or LOCAL) can not have or give anything that it did not take from it’s citizens.