A 127-year-old former jail at the edge of a Louisiana cemetery has been bought and donated to a preservation group.

The central Louisiana town of Colfax was created only 21 years before the jail was built in 1890. Preservation board president Trevor Fry says the building had many uses through the years, including health unit, library, American Legion post, and even a stable for the sheriff's bull.

He says few Grant Parish buildings date back to the 19th century, so the donation is significant.

A book published in 1890 says the town paid $2,975 for a new jail in September of that year.

Preservationist and engineer Robert Wolfe says he and his wife, Mimi, paid $3,001 to buy it. They then donated it to Grant Preservation of Louisiana.