The county jail was built on land owned by Colonel John M. Hughes, a veteran of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War of 1861–1865.[2] Its construction was completed in 1876, only five years after the establishment of Moore County.[2] The construction team was Bobo and Stegall.[2]
Between 1872 and 1880, the Grand Central Hotel owned by Dr. E Y. Salmon, another Confederate veteran who served as the county clerk/master, was the de facto county courthouse.[3] Other meeting places included a church and a school in Lynchburg.[2] Construction on the county courthouse across the square from the jail began in 1884, and it was completed within a year.[2] The builder was S.L.P. Garrett.[2]
