Burned house was city’s first jail

  • The historic brick building at Second and Maple streets in Falmouth received heavy damages in a Jan. 27 fire was the city's first jail in the early 1800s. It was boarded up over the weekend. Harold Macallister, who was buying the house from his brother Gary, who lived there, said he didn’t know if the building could be saved. Photo by Burton Cole.
    The historic brick building at Second and Maple streets in Falmouth received heavy damages in a Jan. 27 fire was the city's first jail in the early 1800s. It was boarded up over the weekend. Harold Macallister, who was buying the house from his brother Gary, who lived there, said he didn’t know if the building could be saved. Photo by Burton Cole.
  • The historic brick building at Second and Maple streets in Falmouth received heavy damages in a Jan. 27 fire was the city's first jail in the early 1800s. It was boarded up over the weekend. Harold Macallister, who was buying the house from his brother Gary, who lived there, said he didn’t know if the building could be saved. Photo by Burton Cole.
    The historic brick building at Second and Maple streets in Falmouth received heavy damages in a Jan. 27 fire was the city's first jail in the early 1800s. It was boarded up over the weekend. Harold Macallister, who was buying the house from his brother Gary, who lived there, said he didn’t know if the building could be saved. Photo by Burton Cole.

    By Jim Thaxton

    FALMOUTH — The historic, brick home on the northwest corner of Maple and Second streets that served as the city’s first jail has been boarded up after a fire last week that gutted the first floor and severely damaged the second.

    Falmouth Fire Chief John Lucas said that homeowner Gary Macallister told him that the fire started when Macallister attempted to refill a kerosene space heater and it exploded.

    Macallister made it out safely then went back into the burning building to save his two dogs. The dogs were not harmed.

    According to his brother, Harold Macallister, Gary suffered smoke inhalation and was taken to the hospital by Pendleton County Ambulance where he was treated and released. He is now living with his children.

    Firefighters remained on the scene at press time a week ago Monday, so little information was available in last week's edition.

    Lucas said the fire was contained to the first floor, but when they attempted to cut through to the second floor to access fire in a false ceiling, they discovered the second floor was made of thick beams that were like steel.

    “A chain saw couldn’t cut into those beams,” Lucas said.

    Firefighters were able to get water to the hot spots without having to cut through the floor, and extinguished the blaze.

    In addition to the Falmouth Fire Department, units from Northern Pendleton and Pendleton County fire departments responded to the fire along with Pendleton County Ambulance. Lucas commended all departments for working seamlessly as a team, preventing the fire from spreading through the roof and saving the structure.

    Lucas also urged homeowners to have working smoke detectors in their home and to follow manufacturers’ instructions when using space heaters.

    Harold Macallister and a friend covered the doorways and windows over the weekend with sheets of plywood to protect the interior from the weather. Harold, who was in the process of purchasing the building from his brother, was unsure whether the building could be saved.

    “This was once a jail," he said, pausing in his work covering the remaining windows upstairs that once contained steel jail bars.

    The house was the first jail in Falmouth, built in 1800 by Reuban Kemp. The prisoners were locked upstairs in cells. The jailer and family lived downstairs. The front room served as an office, with a closet and desk under the stairs.

    The building was sold to James Clark in 1854 and converted to a residence after a new jail was built behind the county courthouse.