It has been well-documented historically that San Diego’s city government got its infant start in Old Town — lock, stock and a jail to match — in the 1850s. Joshua H. Bean was appointed as the first mayor, and among his initial duties was to select a sheriff. Of all people, it went to a Hungarian count by the name of Agoston Haraszthy de Mokcsa. Unruly town inhabitants made life miserable, however, so the next major move in 1851 was to find a jail to corral them. This monument to law and order still stands next to the Sheriff’s Museum in Old Town. As the jail-building process began, the novice City Council sought bids for the construction of a suitable facility for the undesirables. Although a pair of brothers offered $3,000 to build the first city jail, they lost out to Haraszthy’s higher bid of $5,000. The fact the bidder’s father was the council’s president and that Haraszthy himself was sheriff and town marshal were, of course, major factors. Haraszthy hired D.B. Kurtz to build the jail, a room that measured 20 feet by 50 feet, constructed of cobblestone that was set in common mortar — not cement — and covered by a wooden roof. If a man was arrested for any crime, including murder, he would be visited in the jail three times a day by the sheriff. Then, prisoners would be escorted to a hotel where, along with the sheriff, the inmates would take a few belts of booze at the bar. They might play a friendly game of poker for the drinks and consume a substantial meal at the county’s expense. There was also a question about the justice of the peace, a fellow named Patrick Reed, who apparently couldn’t read or write. His signature came in the form of a big X. Unhappy with what Haraszthy deemed as poor workmanship on the part of the construction company, he refused to pay D.B. Kurtz. Several years later, a strange cage-like cell was bought for a jail, although it was actually more of a holding cell for prisoners set to be transported to a Los Angeles facility. It was escape-proof, but then, the prisoners were also in plain sight of everyone. Often, small boys would throw stones at the inmates. This second jail facility became outdated and was preserved and later transported to Ramona where it can now be seen at the Guy H. Woodward Museum on Main Street. Haraszthy was only in office for two years. He moved to Sonoma and purchased a parcel of 16 acres called Vineyard Farm which had been planted in 1834 by Salvadore Vallejo. He was noted for the introduction of the internationally famous Zinfandel.
