Bowie County Jail - Boston, TX
N 33° 26.517 W 094° 25.281
15S E 367883 N 3701186
Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, 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.
Waymark Code: WMQQ6Q
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/17/2016
Views: 7
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.
Street address:
S Merrill St and W Walters Blvd
Boston, TX USA
75570
County / Borough / Parish: Bowie
Year listed: 1977
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1875-1899
Historic function: Government
Current function: Vacant/Not In Use
Privately owned?: no
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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