Old Ellis County Jail - Waxahachie, Texas
Posted by: 
txoilgas
N 32° 23.198 W 096° 50.861
14S E 702460 N 3585329
This is now an active attorneys office. Maybe the location is appropriate.
Waymark Code: WM7KJQ
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 11/05/2009
Views: 9
from the historical marker.
Due to overcrowding in the existing jail facility, this structure was completed in 1888. The Ellis County Commissioners Court awarded the contract to Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri. A round turret with conical roof dominates the design. Decorative brick corbeling runs below the cornice. The two-story brick and stone jail contained the Sheriff's family residence on the first floor. There were twenty 4' X 8' cells which accommodated two prisoners each. The solitary confinement and death cells were in the basement. A rotary system, one of the few in the United States, was installed to prevent escapes. A cylinder contained a group of ten cells. The outer walls were stationary jail bars with only one opening. The cylinder turned to provide access to the single door. The entire jail yard was enclosed by a fence of iron bars. Bloodhounds were kept in the yard in the early days. After a new county jail was constructed in 1929, this facility housed the relief work commission during the depression. Afterward a variety of commercial enterprises occupied the space.
Address:
200A North Rogers Street
Waxahachie, Texas USA
75165
Open to the public: No
Hours:
Private office space
Fees?:
Arm and a Leg?
Web link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
In order to add a new log to the waymark of this category, simply take another photo of the prison from a different angle than the other posts. Also add to the history of the jail when possible.