Van Wert County Jail Inmate Search

In 1835, the County known as "Van Wert" came to be. The County Commissioners had an order declared to build a jail in 1838. Mercer County's Jesse King was given an agreement that the jail had to be done by November 1st, 1839. The facility had been located beside the courthouse and also had a living space for the sheriff and his family.

The jail had almost been built almost solely out of wood and after a while the wood dried out making it very easy for prisoners to escape. There had been many cases where inmates snuck out at dusk and went to the bar before returning to the jail at dawn. The "second jail" was approved in January of 1861.

This jail was almost completely made out of brick and, like the first, was located near the courthouse. Another similarity with the first and second facilities is the extra living space for the sheriff and his family. This area was added almost a year later. Unfortunately by 1888, the jail had been in absolutely terrible condition. It had been ruled ill-suited due to many prisoners trying to escape.

By the year of 1891, voters had finally agreed on a new building, and exactly one year later the facility was finished. Sadly, in 1980, the jail was still experiencing an abundance of issues. The facility had been in ruins for many years, considering the fact that it was built in 1891. The state had commanded for the jail to close in March of 1980, and inmates had been sent to other locations. Voters had turned down the idea of building a new facility for a long while, but almost 20 years later in 1998, the "fourth jail" was built. This being the current "Van Wert County Correctional Facility." It opened in September of 1998.