Set back from the street, the sheriff's house has the look of an upper-middle-class home of its time. A comfortable front porch extends the length of the four-bay facade, and smooth ashlar walls terminate below wide projecting eaves that support a hipped roof centered with an elaborate Palladian dormer. The jail behind the residence, faced with rough-hewn stone, was originally connected to the courthouse through a “Bridge of Sighs.” Sheriffs' residences combined with jails were usual accompaniments to West Virginia courthouses. Some remain, but many have disappeared as regional “correctional facilities” have taken their places. County commissioners deeded the sheriff's residence to the Marion County Historical Society in 1986, and it now serves as a museum. Models of some of the county's historic houses, including Sonnencroft, are among the exhibits.