The first elected Sheriff of Washington County, Maryland, was George Hershey, who served from 1777 to 1780. There have been 80 Sheriffs in the history of Washington County to date. One of the more interesting chapters in the unbroken chain of Sheriffs is the term of Sheriff George Swearingen, who began his term in 1827; however, it was ended prematurely when he was arrested, convicted, and hung for the murder of his wife in 1829.

In 1838, the Maryland Constitution was changed to provide a separate County Tax Collector, thus relieving the Sheriff of that responsibility. In 1850, the Sheriff’s term of office was reduced to two years. It remained a two-year term until 1946, when it was increased to four-year terms. The four-year term remains in place today.

The longest-serving Sheriff in the history of Washington County was Charles F. Mades, who served from 1986 to 2006. He served five terms in office after retiring with 25 years with the Maryland State Police.

The present Sheriff, Brian K. Albert, is in his first term as Sheriff.

SHERIFFS OF WASHINGTON COUNTY, MARYLAND

• 1777 – 1780 George Hershey
• 1780 – 1783 Henry Stull
• 1783 – 1786 John Ott
• 1786 – 1789 David Steel
• 1789 – 1792 Henry Shryock
• 1792 – 1795 Rezan Davis
• 1795 – 1798 John Wagner
• 1798 – 1801 Jacob Schnebly
• 1801 – 1804 Nathaniel Rochester
• 1804 – 1807 Issac Smith
• 1807 – 1810 Mathias Shafer
• 1810 – 1813 Henry Sweitzer
• 1813 – 1816 Daniel Schnebly
• 1816 – 1819 Thomas Post
• 1819 – 1822 Jacob Miller
• 1822 – 1823 John V. Swearingen
• 1823 – 1824 Thomas Post
• 1824 – 1827 Alexander Neill
• 1827 – 1829 George Swearingen
• 1829 – 1830 William Fitzhugh
• 1830 – 1833 Christian Newcomer
• 1833 – 1836 Daniel Malott
• 1836 – 1839 John Newcomer
• 1839 – 1842 John Carr
• 1842 – 1845 David T. Wilson
• 1845 – 1848 Thomas Martin
• 1848 – 1851 Daniel South
• 1851 – 1853 Christopher Hilliard
• 1853 – 1855 William Logan
• 1855 – 1857 Benjamin A. Garlinger
• 1857 – 1859 John M. Houck
• 1859 – 1861 Edward M. Moberly
• 1861 – 1863 Henry Gantz
• 1863 – 1865 Samuel Oliver
• 1865 – 1867 Jonathan Newcomer
• 1867 – 1869 George M. Grove
• 1869 – 1871 Daniel White
• 1871 – 1873 Robert C. Bamford
• 1873 – 1875 Jacob Marker
• 1875 – 1877 Peter J. Mayberry
• 1877 – 1879 Benjamin F. Reichard
• 1879 – 1881 Frederick K. Zeigler
• 1881 – 1883 Charles J. Knepper
• 1883 – 1885 David Thum
• 1885 – 1887 Elias Cost
• 1887 – 1889 John H. Gatrell
• 1889 – 1891 George G. Solliday
• 1891 – 1893 John N. Brumbaugh
• 1893 – 1895 Charles Herbert
• 1895 – 1897 Charles E. Smith
• 1897 – 1899 M. Finley Seibert
• 1899 – 1901 Bruce S. Zeller
• 1901 – 1903 Samuel P. Angle
• 1903 – 1905 Hammon A. Downin
• 1905 – 1907 Charles H. Deibert
• 1907 – 1909 George W. Earnshaw
• 1909 – 1911 Thomas H. Barber
• 1911 – 1913 Thomas A. Snively
• 1913 – 1915 Otto W. King
• 1915 – 1917 Issac S. Long
• 1917 – 1919 Samuel Starliper
• 1919 – 1921 Richard Duffey
• 1921 – 1923 Scott McKline
• 1923 – 1926 Richard Duffey
• 1926 – 1930 Scott McKline
• 1930 – 1934 W. Bruce Downin
• 1934 – 1938 Max C. Malott
• 1938 – 1942 Joseph D. Baker
• 1942 – 1946 John B. Huyett
• 1946 – 1950 Joseph D. Baker
• 1950 – 1958 Edward L. Rowland
• 1958 – 1974 Charles Price
• 1974 – 1974 Alonzo R. Hoffman
• 1974 – 1978 Francis R. Ford
• 1978 – 1986 Glenn L. Bowman
• 1986 – 2006 Charles F. Mades
• 2006 – 2022 Douglas W. Mullendore
• 2022- Present Brian K. Albert

WASHINGTON COUNTY DETENTION CENTER

According to the book, “A History of Washington County, Maryland from the Earliest Settlements to the Present Time” written by Thomas J.C. Williams, the first jail stood on the alley between Washington and Franklin Streets. It was a small structure of logs with holes to admit light because there were no windows. The best guess is that this jail was used from the 1770s to 1826.

A new County Jail and Sheriff’s Quarters were constructed over an eight-year period from 1818 to 1826 as a log house on N. Jonathan St, Hagerstown, Maryland. In 1857, a fire completely destroyed the jail but left the Sheriff’s residence still standing. The jail was rebuilt in 1858 and remodeled in 1888 when a second floor was added. Steel cages were also added, which formed the cell blocks. After this period, high walls were added that surrounded the entire building. At the conclusion of the remodeling, the jail’s capacity was 51 inmates.

The last hanging in Washington County occurred on June 30, 1916, when John Brown was hanged after being found guilty of murdering a Hagerstown Widow. Sheriff’s during this time period did everything they could to accommodate the ever-increasing inmate population, which had grown to approximately 100 inmates by 1980. It was then decided by the Board of County Commissioners and the Sheriff to design and build a state-of-the-art Detention Center.

The Detention Center, located at 500 Western Maryland Parkway, Hagerstown, MD, was constructed for $5.8 million and provided 56,395 square feet of space to hold a capacity of 162 inmates. In June 1984, the inmates were transferred from the old jail to the new Detention Center. The old jail was demolished later that year. Some of the stones from the first floor of the old jail were used to build a memorial to all veterans in Martin L. Snook Park, Hagerstown, Maryland.

In 1988 the population of the Detention Center grew to the point it was decided to add a second bunk to each cell. Then in 1992, a Work Release/Jail Substance Abuse Program (JSAP) Unit was added. By 1996 the inmate population continued to grow and adding another 76-bed housing unit was necessary.

In 2009, renovations to the Detention Center were started, creating a Central Booking Unit on the front side of the Detention Center. The Central Booking Unit opened its doors on May 10, 2010. All Individuals arrested by any police officer in Washington County are now transported to Central Booking for processing. Construction of a 96-bed dormitory-style housing unit started in 2010 and was completed in September 2011.

Today, the general inmate population beds available are 425 males and 70 females, in addition to special needs beds.