The old county jail was
not attached to the courthouse. It was a free-standing building on the east
side of the courthouse lawn. Shown below is the 1885 Sandborn Insurance map
showing the location of the jail. While it was located close to the
courthouse, it was not attached. It did have a fence which encircled the
building and its yard which may have attached to the courthouse in some
way.
Click on
thumb nail for larger picture
The
old jail was closed in October 1888 and the prisoners moved to the Travis
County jail because of frequent jail breaks. The jail on Main Street was
approved for construction during the county commissioners' court session on
January 3, 1888. It's funding - contrary to what appears on the state
historical marker - was through the sale of bonds. The land for the jail
site was David Love's wagon yard which was purchased through the donation of
funds by prominent Williamson County residents. The new jail was accepted by
the county commissioners in January 1889 and prisoners began to be housed
there.