This brick building, combining Queen Anne and Romanesque Revival motifs, cleverly conveys its function through architecture. Prominent—one could say brutal—horizontal brownstone bars extend across and through the windows, most notably in the pyramidal-roofed corner tower. Though silent in a literal sense, figuratively they blatantly tell those inside that they can't get out, and warn those outside to stay away. After a regional correctional facility took its place, the jail was converted to a bank in 1992. The first loan the institution granted enabled the Berkeley County Historical Society to purchase the Belle Boyd House (
BE12).