WAYNESVILLE — When the Old Lockup is dedicated from 1:30-4 p.m. today, visitors won't be held against their will. They'll be tourists and community boosters who are interested in the $154,000 renovation of the former town jail and fire house at 260 Chapman St.

        The rectangular building's new mission: help attract tourists in a push for “heritage tourism,” undertaken mostly by adults who seek historical and cultural roots.

        Officially, the building will be named the Accommodation Line Ohio Scenic Byway Interpretive and Visitor's Center. It also will be the starting point on the 10.4-mile byway (U.S. 42) from Waynesville to Spring Valley, retracing the stagecoach line's route of the 1820s.

        Village Manager R. Kevin Harper, who was instrumental in developing the byway, said the community has wanted to renovate the building for years. Financing for the project comes mainly from state grants.

        A center is the perfect use, he said, allowing the building again to function as an important part of Waynesville.

        “We have displays — old bottles, freshwater pearls (for which we were once known), a book on Quakers and other historic items,” he said.

        Accommodation Line maps cover an inside wall. Display cases hold artifacts from Waynesville, Spring Valley, Mount Holly, Spring Valley Township and other stops on the coach route. For visitors' comfort, the building is equipped with self-leveling chairs on the uneven wooden floor.

        Once, the big front doors would slide open so that the horse-drawn fire engine could emerge. After today, those doors will again have significance.

        “If you look up here (from Main Street) and see the big doors are open, then come on up. The building will be open,” Mr. Harper said.

        Although the one-story building has been extensively remodeled, it still features reminders of the past: black iron jail bars on a wall. Crusty brick. Side windows blocked by bars.

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