When Gila County moved its offices into the then new county courthouse in March, 1907, the county jail was housed in the rear of the ground floor. Shortly thereafter, it was apparent that the jail within the courthouse was insufficient to meet the needs of the county. On January 5, 1909, the Board of Supervisors authorized the purchase of the property adjacent to the courthouse on the northeast for the construction of a new jail. The jail was completed in August, 1910.
The Old Gila County Jail was designed in the Vernacular Neoclassical style prevalent among commercial and public buildings at the turn of the century. It was built of poured, reinforced concrete.
The interior design was simple and utilitarian. The ground floor consisted of administrative offices for the Gila County Sheriff in the front portion and a steel cell block in the rear. The second floor houses small cell blocks for women and juveniles in the front portion and a steel cell block identical to that on the first floor in the rear. The third floor consists of an open trustee dormitory.
The jail, with slight modifications, served Gila County until a modern facility was constructed in 1978.
The old Gila County Jail is open to the public Monday through Friday from 9 am to noon.