My name is Manny Santana and on June 14, 1989, my family purchased the Newhall Jail from the Henkel family. It came with a built-in tenant, El Holt, a practicing attorney. I always like to think that he practiced law out of a place he tried to keep you out of.

The jail is located at 24522 Spruce St. in downtown Newhall, corner of Lyons Avenue and what was once San Fernando Road. It is located behind where the old 76 gas station once stood, now a vacant lot; its barred windows clearly visible from the street. Through the years, it not only served as the jail, but was used as an attorney's office, a used car lot, a tire shop, a storage area and presently houses the Antique Flower Garden.

Since the purchase in 1989, I was set on preserving a part of the city's history. After the 1994 earthquake, I spent thousands of dollars restoring its inner structure. The concept of the jail goes back to 1888 with proposals to construct a wooden two-cell jailhouse measuring 12'x20' for $236.25 with iron bars or a slightly larger structure 13'x22' for $248.00. There is some confusion as to whether the wooden jail was ever built at all.

In January of 1906, architectural plans to construct a concrete building with a ¼' thick steel door covering were put out to bid. Construction was completed in May of that same year when the windows were covered with heavy screens and the interior walls were whitewashed. Throughout the years, some additions have been made to the front of the building; a restroom and storage area were added and a large office area was also added to the rear of the building. Never was the original structure compromised. Its 14 ½" thick concrete walls and concrete roof seem to have withstood the test of time.

Behind the front door lies an open area once divided by bars from its high ceilings down to the floor with its associated doors each heading into the cells. To the right are three small barred windows that allowed sunlight to enter. Across from the steel door on the opposite side of the room is another large barred window designed to provide light and ventilation. Below this window is where the Constable's desk once stood and near the desk was a potbelly stove that provided heat. A vent through the wall and roof were part of the original design and are clearly visible. Once in the cells, you can see etchings on the walls from prisoners past; what is now considered modern day graffiti. Two concrete benches lined each cell to accommodate overnight stays; one still exists in its entirety. A drain in the middle of the floor is a reminder that, yes, it was once a working jail and it was used for wash-down. This building was a predecessor to today's modern jails. It is believed that William S. Hart, Amelia Earhart, Tom Mix and W.C. Fields would spend rainy days playing cards in the jail with the constable.

About three years ago, I asked a city official if they were going to take my jail house and their answer was "no," that I had done a good job of preserving it, that they would design, plan and possibly incorporate it into their project and work around it. Never did the threat of demolition or relocation exist, nor did the threat of Condemnation Eminent Domain.

On August 30, 2006, a letter from the city came out; Request for Proposals Mixed-use Development Project. Bullet point number 5 on page 4 caught my attention: it states "Embrace historic preservation by celebrating the area's heritage." Page 5 states that two of the parcels structures identified in the Downtown Specific Plan as being "historic" in nature and must be considered for adaptive re-use, incorporation into a project or relocation to another site. Those buildings are the old Jail at 24522 Spruce Street and the previous American Theater Company (currently American Legion Post 507) located at 24527 Spruce Street. What's happened since the original Environmental Impact Report? These historical buildings were not to be touched.

On April 10, 2007, I received a registered letter from Valentine Appraisal & Associates, stating that they wanted to appraise my property. This letter was also cc: to Barbara Stoll, Acquisition Specialist, Santa Clarita Redevelopment Agency. I received another registered letter from the city dated April 12, 2007. This letter stated a Notice of Decision to Appraise property located at 24522 Spruce Street and Notice of Land Acquisition Procedures. This letter pointed out Section 6184 of California Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Guidelines, and Section 6188 of a Notice of Decision to Appraise and Notice of Land Use Acquisition Procedures. This letter was cc: to Robert Newman, Director of Public Works, Paul Brotzman, Director of Community Development; Chris Price, Assistant City Engineer and Sarona Vivanco, Senior Management Analyst. Yes, I know these names and titles mean absolutely nothing to me either. Bottom line is that this historic site is now in the first stages of Condemnation Eminent Domain.

All of these people work for Ken Pulskamp, Santa Clarita's City Manager. My understanding is that the City Manager works for the City Council. Well, as you can guess where I'm going with this ... yes, the City Council members work for us. It is our will that we erase our history or heritage? Keep in mind that the jail has certainly earned the right to stay where it was built, but if it does survive the move, it will be just another old building in a County Park. If left where it's at, it can become a historical site, never to be moved.

I may be the owner of the old jail or as I like to think of it, the caretaker of it while I'm here on God's green Earth. This jail is part of our town, our history and each and every one of us should be concerned about preserving Newhall's history for ourselves as well as our children's children.

There is nothing in place, as Bob Kellar put in a recent newspaper article, to protect these old historical buildings. Am I out here alone in trying to protect what little is left of our town's history? Should I petition to save this historical building? What to do? Help!