History
History of the Shelby County Sheriff's Office
The Shelby County Archives maintains much of the historical information regarding law enforcement in Shelby County from the early 1800's to the present.
Our Old Courthouse building and Shelby County Archives building, are listed as historic places. The Shelby County Archives building formerly housed the County Jail before the Criminal Justice Center Complex was built.
The Memphis Public Library also has a wealth of news clippings, old photos and other memorabilia about the Shelby County Sheriff's Office.
On this page is a photo of an early engraving of the Shelby County Jail from 1876. You may find out more items of historical significance by visiting one of the links below.
- National Register of Historical Places in Shelby County
- Goodspeed's History of Shelby County Tennessee
- Memphis Public Library and Information Center
Take a look into the past with historical Sheriff's Office publications. Available to download and view from the links listed here.
NOTE: These files may take some time to download and view on low-bandwidth connections.
- Shelby County Sheriff's Office Year Book - 1975 (17.8 MB )
- Shelby County Sheriff's Office Year Book -1994 (74.5 MB)
- Junior Deputy's Manual - 1968 (5.23 MB)
- Shelby County Sheriff Gene Barksdale - 1986 (5.65 MB)
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