FAYETTE COUNTY PRISON   The Fayette County Prison, behind the courthouse, has as its most extraordinary feature the unique stone-arched Bridge of Sighs. The bridge spans an alleyway and connects the prison with Courtroom No. 1 in the Courthouse.  This enables prisoners to be taken back and forth without going outside.   The jail stands on a knoll where Henry Beeson in 1774 built a blockhouse overlooking his gristmill, as protection from marauding Indians.   The first County jail was established in 1784 in a long building on Elbow (Main) Street.   A new prison building, which included the sheriffs residence, was built in 1854 and the current jail was completed in 1890, its architecture harmonizing with the courthouse.   The Bridge of Sighs was built in 1902. The residence of the sheriff (later occupied by the warden) was removed several years ago and the space used for other purposes. Executions by hanging were carried out in the jail yard until 1914.  The apparatus used in the hangings can still be found in the courthouse storage.         The County prison has a pyramidal slate roof, a tower, and a skylight over the cells. It was enlarged in 1963 and has a current capacity of 80 prisoners.