Gardnerville Jail an historic addition to state register

The old Gardnerville Branch Jail, once the only Douglas County jail, has been selected for the Nevada Register of Historic Places.

The jail also soon may be listed in The National Register of Historic Places.

The jail was the only incarceration facility in the county from 1910 to 1916, said Jim Park, Gardnerville town manager. It sits in nearly the same condition it was almost 100 years ago, behind the French and Adaven hotels off Highway 395 in Gardnerville.

The National Register is the United States' official list of cultural resources worthy of preservation. It is authorized under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and part of a program to support public and private efforts to protect historic and archeological resources.

The National Register is administered by the National Park Service. Fewer than 2,500 historic places bear the distinction.

The old county jail will be nominated for the National Register by the Nevada Historic Preservation Office. Nomination forms are submitted to a state review board, composed of professionals in the fields of U.S. history, architectural history, architecture, prehistoric and historic archeology, and related disciplines.

"If they concur, it will go to the national level," Park said.

The review board will recommend the nomination if, in the board's opinion, it meets the National Register criteria. Park said he should know if the jail makes the grade by the end of this year.

Generally, properties eligible for listing in the National Register are at least 50 years old.