Demo Begins on Old Delaware County Jailer’s House & Jail

A piece of history started coming down in Delaware County on Tuesday morning.

Demolition began on the old Delaware County jailer’s house, which sits just southwest of the Delaware County Courthouse in Manchester. The County Supervisors say the jailer’s house dates back to the 1800s and previously served as a home for jailers and their families – and in more recent years, a place for the Sheriff’s deputies to diffuse following calls. 

The former Delaware County Jail and Sheriff’s Office is also being torn down. The aging building has sat empty for the past four years since the new jail and Sheriff’s Office opened on the west end of town.

The demolition is part of a larger project that will include a two-story zero-entry addition to the east side of the courthouse. The Delaware County Treasurer’s Office and Auditor’s Office will move to the new addition – the County Supervisors say the goal is to provide safer public access to those highly-used offices, as well as appropriate storage space for the county’s voting equipment.

Delaware County Supervisor Shirley Helmrichs has told KMCH the entire project, including the demo and new addition, will cost between five to six million dollars, with funding set aside to pay for the project. She says the funds are a combination of ARPA funds, budgeted dollars for election equipment storage and county building funds.

Demolition is expected to last two to three days. We’ve shared a live video of part of the old jailer’s house coming down on our KMCH Facebook page. 

The new Delaware County courthouse addition should be ready for use by early 2027.

Jailer’s House Demolition

Jail Demolition

photos courtesy of Janelle Tucker/KMCH