Bowie County Jail - Boston, TX
N 33° 26.517 W 094° 25.281
15S E 367883 N 3701186
The old Bowie County jail stands neglected on the old courthouse square at the northwest corner of the intersection of S Merrill Street and W Walters Boulevard in Boston, TX. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977,
Waymark Code: WMQQWD
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/20/2016
Views: 5
Ed Blackburn, Jr.'s "Wanted: Historic County Jails of Texas" features this three-story brick jail in its entry for Bowie County. The jail was built in 1891 and used until 1984. Today, it is the lone occupant of a park on the old courthouse square, as its companion courthouse was burned in the 1980s. Blackburn indicates that the jail is said to have been designed by Harry R. Taylor and built by contractors Sonnefield and Emmons at a cost of $10,250. It was later remodeled by the Southern Prison Company. There was an adjacent cottage for the jailer, and included a gallows. Its size is explained by its having to house criminals from all over East Texas, which had a fairly sizable population at the time when compared with the rest of the state. No longer in use, the jail is decorated by school children for parties around Halloween.
Address:
S Merrill St and W Walters Blvd
Boston, TX USA
75570
Open to the public: No
Hours:
Viewable from the outside, 24/7. No visitors to the inside.
Fees?:
No fees
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.