City Jail - Corsicana Commercial Historic District - Corsicana, TX
Posted by: 
WalksfarTX
N 32° 05.610 W 096° 27.948
14S E 739159 N 3553610
The city's first brick jail, this structure was erected in 1908 adjacent to the city hall on a lot purchased from Rebecca A. Croft, widow of Judge William Croft.
Waymark Code: WMXK52
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/22/2018
Views: 0
This building is now a private residence.
Texas Historic Site Atlas
Built in 1908 for about $5,(X)0, this facility served as the community's first permanent brick jail. In continuous use until the 1970s, the jail played an integral role in local law enforcement for more than six decades.
Corsicana architect H.B. Lockhead designed the building for a site next to the city hall (since razed). The local construction firm of Berry & Metcalf won the contract to build the facility, which could accommodate up to 80 prisoners segregated by sex, race, and offense.
"Women prisoners were detained in one cell, men in another, while Negroes, Mexicans, and drunks were incarcerated in yet another cell" (Sanders 1976). The jail reflects Corsicana's efforts to improve public infrastmcture during a period of economic prosperity in the early 20th century. The jail is also the oldest surviving public institutional building in the city.