CLEARFIELD – On Wednesday an official ground-breaking celebrated the old Clearfield County Jail’s ongoing transformation into a restaurant, distillery and event center.
Jeffrey Rice co-owns the building with his son, Jeremy and they ceremoniously broke ground on phase one of their project, which will include a three-story addition in the same Russell stone as the original structure.
The father-son duo plan for it to house their “Rock on the River” restaurant that will feature a rotating menu to give locals and visitors alike a variety of dining experiences.
The restaurant will have indoor and outdoor patio seating, plus the Rice’s plan to complete landscaping with garden seating options.
There will be elevators available to make the facilities fully handicapped accessible, Jeffrey Rice said.
The restaurant and distillery will be housed in the old Clearfield County Jail, which was built after the town decided it needed a stronger jail with stone quarried in Curwensville and “ice-sledded” down river to Clearfield.
“Ambitious men raised the two-foot thick walls on the bank of the Susquehanna River,” according to historical information.
Completed in 1872, it served its purpose for over a century, but after closing in the early 1980’s, it suffered almost four decades of gradual disrepair.
In 2019, Keith W. Billotte purchased the old jail and invested three-and-a-half years into renovation work that was completed in 2022 and repurposed the building for use as a distillery.
He restored as much of the original structure as possible featuring exposed brick archways, stone walls, stained glass windows, original fireplaces, hardwood floors, intact original jail cells, exposed beams and one-of-a-kind artifacts dating to the time period.
Other features included new wiring, a new roof, new plumbing, ADA-approved bathrooms and a three-story custom spiral staircase to the watch tower overlooking Clearfield.
The building was listed for sale on social media in April 2023 as “one of the most magnificent structures in central Pennsylvania,” and was later purchased by the Rice’s, who have been continuing renovations.
Jeffrey Rice said they have plans to open the distillery, “Doing Time,” with a small event center for weddings, corporate events and such.
The Rice’s hope to have the restaurant open in early 2025 but at this time are uncertain when the distillery portion of the project will be operational.
“It’s going to be a unique place that draws a lot of tourists,” said Jeffrey Rice and Sue Swales-Vitullo, Visit Clearfield County executive director, couldn’t agree more.
“It’s going to be a great asset for our county”—the restaurant and distillery, the picturesque views of our river and downtown and its rich history.
She noted that it will make Clearfield an especially popular travel destination, with the upcoming America and Pennsylvania 250 celebrations in 2026.
“People love history,” said Swales-Vitullo, “and this is something that they will definitely want to see and experience for themselves.”