The jail was built as all county jails
of its era, with the front portion appearing as
a residence. The front portion was the jail matron’s
quarters and the inmate housing was to the rear,
with the kitchen being in the middle.
History of the Pickaway County Court House
and Jail:
The original jail was in the basement of the
Second Court House, Circleville, Ohio. The first
Court House was erected in the center of the
circle, at the present crossing of Court and
Main streets. The building was octagonal in
shape, constructed of brick with a tower in
the center. It was first occupied for court
purposes early in April, 1814, and was torn
down about 184o and from that time for a period
of six years the courts were held in temporary
quarters, part of the time in the old Lutheran
Church on West Franklin street and for a while
in the United Brethren Church on East Main street.
The building of the Court House at the corner
of Court and Franklin streets was commenced
in the fall of 1845. The contract for the brick
work was let on the 16th of September, 1845,
by the commissioners to Jacob Strickler, at
$5.40 per thousand "to be counted in the
walls and no deductions for openings,"
and the same day a contract was made with Joseph
Kinnear for the delivery of the lumber at 8o
cents per thousand feet, inch measure. The building
was 45 feet in width by 105 feet in length,
with large columns in front, surmounted by a
tower ; the basement was constructed for the
county jail. The entire building was completed
in 1847. The total cost was $45,000. N. B. Kelly,
of Columbus, was the architect and superintendent
of construction.
The offices in the building not being large
enough for the increasing business, and the
jail in the basement having been repeatedly
condemned by the grand jury, the commissioners,
in 1887: by authority of an act of the General
Assembly, passed May 4, 1885, decided to remodel
the Court House and build a jail and jailer's
residence. On the 2nd of February, 1888, the
contract for the improvements was awarded to
Doerzbach & Decker, of Sandusky, Ohio, their
bid of $104,420 for the entire work being the
lowest. The contractors began the work early
in the spring. The corner-stone of the improved
Court House was laid June 21, 1888, with Masonic
ceremonies. The Court House was enlarged by
the addition of two wings, and was made a commodious,
substantial structure with abundant light and
excellent ventilation, convenient in every way
for the business of the people. Both buildings
were completed in the latter part of 1889, and
accepted by the commissioners January 4, 1890.
(History
of Court House and jail excerpt from; History
of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative
Citizens, edited and compiled by Hon. Aaron
R. VanCleaf)
http://www.heritagepursuit.com/Pickaway/PickawayIndex.htm
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PAST SHERIFF'S OF PICKAWAY COUNTY: |
1.)
(1810-1814) - James Renick
2.) (1815-1816) - Samuel Lybrand
3.) (1817-1820) - Charles Botkin
4.) (1821-1824) - Francis Kinnear
5.) (1824-1827) - Joseph Hedges
6.) (1828-1831) - John Shoup
7.) (1832-1833) - Johnathan Ellis
8.) (1834-1835) - Augustus L. Perrill
9.) (1836-1839) - Michael H. Alkire
10.) (1840-1843) - Jerome Wolfley
11.) (1844-1846) - Michael H. Alkire
12.) (1846-1847) - Davis Ensworth
13.) (1848-1850) - Henry H. Howard
14.) (1850-1853) - John Boyer
15.) (1854-1857) - Jacob H. Carpenter
16.) (1858-1859) - Andrew Poulson
17.) (1860-1863) - Patrick H. Delaplane
18.) (1864-1867) - William E. Bohn
19.) (1868-1871) - Caleb Hall |
20.)
(1872-1875) - Issac M. Griest
21.) (1876-1879) - Charles F. Hartmeyer
22.) (1880-1883) - John P. Bolin
23.) (1884-1887) - William Schleyer
24.) (1888-1891) - James T. Wallace
25.) (1892-1895) - Henton M. Dunnick
26.) (1896-1899) - John Henry
27.) (1900-1903) - Lewis C. Hoover
28.) (1904-1908) - Henry W. Schleich
29.) (1909-1912) - Thomas R. Bell
30.) (1913-1916) - Harry S. Sheets
31.) (1917-1918) - W. H. Warner
32.) (1919-1922) - Joe West
33.) (1923-1926) - Robert Young
34.) (1927-1930) - Frank Davis
35.) (1931-1960) - Charles H. Radcliff
36.) (1961-1964) - Walton Spangler
37.) (1965-Present) - Dwight E. Radcliff
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BY KRISTY ECKERT “THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH”: |
CIRCLEVILLE,
Ohio – Oh, the stories he can tell. Like the
one about the habitual prisoner who became a close
friend to Sheriff Dwight Radcliff and the rest of
his family, including wife Betty. Good thing too.
Back in 1968, when the Radcliffs lived in the Pickaway
County jail, a band of unruly prisoners took over
the second floor.
Instinctively, inmate Charles DeWitt Jr. grabbed
a skillet and declared: “Nobody’s going
to get my Betty.”
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Such
tales tend to pile up for the longest-serving sheriff
in the country. (The National Sheriffs’ Association
recently informed Radcliff of his status.)
“I think I could put a good best seller together,”
the 72-year-old mused.
The year Radcliff was first elected, Lyndon Johnson
held the presidency, postage stamps cost a nickel
and The sound of Music won the Oscar for best picture.
During his tenure, the first man walked on the moon,
seven more presidents have served and John Paul
II reigned as Pope for more than a quarter-century.
Radcliff has never lost an election. A no-nonsense
lawman, he has lived his job – and still does.
Here is a good-natured look at the 40-year career
of a tough – they don’t call the county
“Putaway Pickaway” for nothing –
but caring sheriff.
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FAMILY LEGACY DEFINES OFFICE
By Kristy Eckert “THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH”
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Below:
Dwight Radcliff left as a deputy for his father,
Sheriff Charles Radcliff |
A Radcliff
has held the position of Pickaway County Sheriff
for 66 of the past 70 years – and what has
stayed in the family might remain there. Charles
Radcliff served from 1931 to 1961. Four years later,
his son, Dwight, beat the man who defeated his father
– and has won every election since. And Dwight’s
son, Lt. Robert Radcliff, expects to run for sheriff
someday.He was once picked up at school after authorities
discovered a plan to abduct him or a sibling to
hold for ransom. He started working for the sheriff
in 1980, as a deputy in the crime lab.
Yet he would never be caught calling anyone “Dad”
on the job. “He is my boss, and I respect
him. And I admire him. And I look up to him,”
the son said. “And I am loyal to him, dedicated
to him.” He paused, then smiled. “And
at times I strongly disagree with him.”
His father lives with scanners in his garage, basement,
laundry room and other spots at home. No other sheriff
is more committed, the younger Radcliff said. “You
have to be able to devote your life,” he said.
Robert Radcliff has long said that his children
will play a role in his aspirations. The father
of three has devoted much of his time to youth sports
and parent-teacher boards while working his way
through the ranks at the sheriff’s office.
“We want him to” run for sheriff, said
his 13-year-old son, Christopher. “Dad’s
going back and forth.”
If his father were to win the post, however, Christopher
– who dreams of entering the profession –
couldn’t get a job with him. A new law prevents
parents from hiring’ their children at the
sheriff’s office. Still, Christopher figures
he could work nearby.
“I thought about going to Ross County.”
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“I
probably will,” he said recently. Robert
Radcliff knows the lifestyle well: He grew up
in jail, where for decades the sheriff’s
family lived. |
SOME SCENSE REMAIN VIVID
Although
staffing and budgetary issues often dominate his
job these days, Dwight Radcliff has had some trying
– and, thus, memorable – moments in
law enforcement in rural Pickaway County.
A few examples:
In
1965, during the sheriff’s first year in
office, a man being held for robbing a store led
a riot at the jail when the sheriff’s staff
was gone. Inmates moved benches and doused mattresses
to barricade themselves on the second floor. One
prisoner, a family friend, protected the sheriff’s
wife (his family lived at the jail) with a skillet.
Law officers in neighboring areas were called
to help; they eventually forced a surrender by
firing tear gas through a second-floor window.
The only injury: a deputy hit in the mouth with
a shot of tear gas that ricocheted off the building.
Four inmates were charged with rendering the jail
less secure, Radcliff said, and the county commissioners
quickly allocated money to upgrade security features.
In
1980, Radcliff cracked a murder-for-hire case
after a mother of two opened her door one night,
was shot squarely in the chest; and, with her
last words, yelled, “He killed me.”
His investigation took him to the husband, with
whom she was enduring a divorce. Four men were
involved in the scheme:
Two helped authorities and struck plea bargains;
two, including the husband, were convicted. “We
made that thing strictly on circumstantial evidence.” |
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Above:
Sheriff Dwight Radcliff and son Robert, one
of his deputies in Pickaway County |
While
working at an Ashville carryout in 1981, retiree
Harold Flowers was robbed, kidnapped, shot
in the head and left near a creek. Radcliff
still remembers what Flowers was wearing when
the body was found: light-brown slacks, a
shirt and brown tie. And he recalls having
to break the news to the victim’s wife,
son and daughter. The sheriff hasn’t
forgotten the killer: Willie Adkins. “He
was the hardest guy I ever had to break, in
an investigation I’ve had. And finally
he broke – and I broke him on the sympathy
of knowing his family and his mother and his
sisters, and all these kinds of people.” |
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BY
THE NUMBERS
How much coffee has he drank, and how many doughnuts
has he eaten? Those figures couldn’t be
tallied – because the sheriff rarely drinks
the former and simply doesn’t eat the
latter. Otherwise:
AGE WHEN FIRST ELECTED - 32
AGE TODAY - 71
YEARS OF MARRIAGE - 51
CHILDREN - 3
GRANDCHILDREN - 8
GUNS CARRIED THROUGH THE YEARS - 5
TIMES HE HAS FIRED A GUN AT SOMEONE - 0
TIMES HE HAS WOUNDED SOMEONE - 0
TIMES HE HAS KILLED SOMEONE - 0
BADGES LOST - 0
HATS LOST - 0
CRUISERS USED - 7
UNIFORMS WORN - 3
STAFF MEMBERS WHEN HE STARTED IN 1965 - 11
STAFF MEMBERS TODAY - 84
BEDS IN JAIL WHEN HE STARTED (plus cots and
mattresses on floors) - 40
BEDS TODAY - 110
GENERAL ELECTIONS WON - 11
GENERAL ELECTIONS UNOPPOSED - 7
U.S. PRESIDENTS DURING HIS TENURE - 8
HAIRSTYLES - 2
Sources: the sheriff, Pickaway County Board
of Elections
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“As long as I’m here, as long
as I’m in this office, I’m going
to be involved.”
- March 2004, during his primary campaign |
“I just love to go to work. I love
my job.”
- May 2004, after his primary victory |
WHAT
OTHERS SAY ABOUT RADCLIFF |
“I can get a lot of advice just from
looking at that picture because I know how
much he ment to me and how much he taught
me…. That man is the greatest man
in the history of my life.”
- May 1987, on the office photo of his
father, 30-year Sheriff Charles Radcliff |
“He’s a 24/7 sheriff. He wants
to know everything that’s going
on because he cares.”
- Ula Jean Metzler, Pickaway County
commissioner
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“There’s one thing about Pickaway
County: If you get in trouble here, you
pay – you pay the price. That’s
why they call it ‘Putaway Pickaway.’”
- Circleville resident Geneva Welsh,
looking back on her arrest for driving under
the influence |
“He doesn’t have any hobbies,
He doesn’t go golfing; he doesn’t
fish. Christmas Day they go to the jail
to visit the prisoners…. He loves
what he does.”
- Lt. Robert Radcliff, the Sheriff’s
son |
“What are you doing up here? Don’t
you know who you’re talking to?...You
don’t come in Pickaway County unless
you notify me.”
- Ross County Sheriff Ron Nichols, recalling
what Radcliff said as both closed in on
a bank-robbery suspect in Pickaway County. |
“Sheriff, don’t get so mad.
I learned from the best. I learned from
you.”
- what Nichols responded |
“He’s a good man – a very
good man. This county’s lucky to have
him for all these years.”
- Joyce Sedlak, retired probation officer |
“We’re driving across (Rt.)
35, and he’s driving like a bat out
of hell. And I put my seat belt on, and
I said, ‘Where’s your seat belt?’
And he said, ’I’m sitting on
it.’ “
- former Prosecutor and Commissioner
Bob Huffer, remembering a 1965 drive with
Radcliff to Green County, where a Pickaway
County killer had been caught |
“He can remember any case. Like 50
years ago – when it was and what happened
and who got arrested. I think he has a photographic
memory.”
- Jean Droste, Circleville Mayor |
“Nothing escapes him….He watches
everything. He doesn’t miss a trick.”
- Harry Rubin, owner of Block’s
Shoe Store in Circleville |
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THE
TALE OF HIS TENURE
Some historical context for the sheriff’s
four decades in office:
- 1964: Dwight Radcliff, a car salesman, is elected
sheriff for the first time, defeating Walton Spangler
– who had beaten his father four years earlier
– in the primary and Dixie Watters in the
general election.
- 1965: Radcliff takes office; the first big wave
of U.S. troops reach Vietnam.
- 1966: Radcliff is named “Outstanding Young
Man in the Community” by the Circleville Jaycees;
Medicare is introduced.
- 1968: Radcliff beats Spangler again in the primary,
going unopposed in the general election; the Rev.
Martin Luther King Jr. is killed
- 1969: Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz”
Aldrin become the first humans to walk on the moon.
- 1971: The U.S. voting age is lowered to 18.
- 1972: Radcliff wins a third term without facing
an opponent in the primary or general election.
- 1974: Richard Nixon resigns the U.S. presidency.
- 1975: Radcliff celebrates 10 years as a county
officeholder and is named “sheriff of the
year” by the state Fraternal Order of Eagles;
videocassette recorders for the home are developed
in Japan.
- 1976: Radcliff wins a fourth term.
- 1978: John Paul II becomes Pope.
- 1980: Radcliff wins a fifth term, beating the
last opponent he’ll face until 1996; Ted Turner
launches CNN.
- 1982: In a newspaper column written by a federal
judge, Radcliff is compared to Sherlock Holmes;
Michael Jackson releases the album Thriller.
- 1983: Pickaway County forms a committee to consider
constructing a jail to replace the nearly 100-year-old
building – the home of Radcliff and his family.
- 1984: Radcliff wins a sixth term; the Cosby Show
makes it debut.
- 1985: Radcliff marks 20 years as sheriff.
- 1986: The space shuttle Challenger explodes with
seven astronauts aboard.
- 1987: Radcliff is sworn in as president of the
National Sheriffs’ Association; the Supreme
Court rules that women are allowed in Rotary clubs
- 1988: Radcliff wins a seventh term; compact discs
outsell vinyl recordings for the first time.
- 1989: The Berlin Wall is torn down.
- 1990: Pickaway County breaks ground on the new
jail; the Persian Gulf War takes place.
- 1992: Radcliff wins an eighth term and oversees
the opening of the $13.5 million jail.
- 1993: Radcliff spends months wrangling with the
county commissioners over his budget, at one point
threatening to fire most employees and close the
jail.
- 1994: Radcliff makes a deal with the commissioners,
eliminating 10 positions – or about half of
what they initially sought; O.J. Simpson is charged
with murder.
- 1995: Radcliff passes 30 years as sheriff; a jury
finds Simpson not guilty.
- 1996: Radcliff wins a ninth term, running opposed
for the first time in 16 years.
- 1998: President Clinton is accused of having a
sexual relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
- 2000: Unopposed, Radcliff wins a 10th term.
- 2001: Terrorists attack the United States.
- 2003: The nation joins Britain in war against
Iraq.
- 2004: Unopposed, Radcliff wins an 11th term.
- 2005: Radcliff reaches 40 years as Sheriff.
Sources: the sheriff, Pickaway County Board of Elections,
Dispatch archives, Internet research |
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