At first glance, you might say these people are really sick," said Gail Walls, a local historian who is assisting with the creation of the museum...But I think people will see how crime and punishment has changed through the decades. It will be a learning experience."

So what's inside? Everything just the way it was:

In the rear of the building, visitors will climb a flight of metal stairs to tour the death cell and cellblocks on the second floor. Everything is painted battleship gray. Most of the inmates were confined in four small cages, each about 7 feet square. Each cage held four prisoners, who slept in upper and lower bunks on either side. Two cells shared a corridor with a toilet. Two cells in another area were for women prisoners.

The museum has preserved all but the most offensive graffiti in the women's cells. ... "Women were more prone to write dirty stuff on the walls," Walls said.

Also on display will be a replica of Old Sparky, the state's electric chair.

Hangings were the legal method of execution for about 500 Georgia criminals from 1735 to 1924. They were carried out by the sheriff in the county or judicial circuit where the crime occurred.

There will be guided tours as well:

We're going to talk about chain gangs ... and how treatment has changed," ... "Our jail and courthouse and other things in the county are special. We have to capitalize on those things."

If you'd like to go, Ashburn is 160 miles south of Atlanta, near I-75. You can also see the world's largest peanut while you're there--a fiberglass monument that is visible from the interstate. We're going to take a pass--we spend enough time in jails as it is, but if you go, drop us a line and let us know if it met your expectations.