California Historical Landmarks in Lake County
California Historical Landmark 429
Lower Lake Stone Jail
16118 Main Street
Lower Lake
Built 1876
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Built in 1876 at the height of the quicksilver mining boom, the Lower Lake Stone Jail was a response to rapid town growth and the urgent need for civil order. Stephen Nicolai, one of the first stone masons in Lower Lake, built the jail from local materials with the help of Theodore and John Copsey. The jail is one of the smallest in the United States.
California Registered Historical Landmark No. 429
Plaque placed by the State Department of Parks and Recreation in cooperation with the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus, Yerba Buena Chapter No. 1, October 2, 1982.
Theodore and John Copsey commemorated the completion of the jail by over-celebrating, thereby becoming the jail's first occupants. Rumor has it that they were also the jail's first escapees - as they had failed to bolt down the roof.
ECV October, 1982