Soon after Hanford's incorporation, Hanford bought a large steel cage costing four thousand dollars and put it in a rented building on the corner of Irwin and Front Streets. After Kings County was formed, in 1893, the Kings County Sheriff's Office and Jail was constructed in Romanesque style for a little over ten thousand dollars in 1897, and used as such until 1964.

The unique old edifice was constructed to house sixty prisoners, becoming overcrowded beyond imagined capacity with two hundred fifteen inmates at its closing. The jail's purpose was for temporary incarceration, which was not to exceed a period of one year. It was strictly a county jail, not a prison facility. Not having its own kitchen as such, meals were brought into the building and served from a windows. Four solitary confinement cells to the west of the main floor are still in place.

The building was condemned following the discovery of the sheriff office's ceiling strewn upon his desk and surrounding floor area. With the unexpected cave-in came additional inspection of the old structure. A new and much larger sheriff's office and jail were soon constructed about one mile to the west on Lacey Boulevard.

Over the years, the gallant, charming old edifice has been the home of the Kings County Art League's gallery, eaters and combination restaurant and bar facilities. The front patio addition for open air enjoyment was inaugurated about 1990.

Titled "The Bastille" for its Romanesque appearance, it now houses a popular restaurant which welcomes visitors at varied time periods. Located to the east of the old Courthouse building and across the park from the Civic Auditorium, it is home to Jazz Concerts in the summertime.

• Ride Amtrak to Historic Hanford - Amtrak reservations: 800-872-7245
• Ride to and from your destination on our 1950 Studebaker Fire Truck
• Take an escorted walking tour with a Show-Off Tour Guide
• Ride the antique Carousel - reservations: 559-582-5024