Crockett County Jail
Ozona, Crockett County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1892, about a year after county's organization; contractor was Z. D. Gafford of San Angelo. Building stone was quarried to north of structure, on Meyers property. Tower may have been designed for hangings, but no gallows were ever installed. Though never filled to capacity, inmates have included the 1954 robbers of Ozona National Bank. In sheriff's quarters, Ozona children about 1915 took piano lessons from sheriff's wife. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, 1966.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Built in 1892, just a year after Crockett County was organized, this stone jail was raised from rock quarried on nearby land. Its tower may have been meant for hangings, though no gallows was ever installed, and the lockup was never filled to capacity — its most notable guests were the 1954 robbers of the Ozona National Bank. In a homey frontier touch, the sheriff's wife once gave local children piano lessons in the family's quarters around 1915.
Why it matters
Early county jails like this one mark the moment raw West Texas frontier settlements organized themselves into governed counties with courts, sheriffs, and the machinery of law.
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Related people
- · Z. D. Gafford
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Ozona's First Water Well
Ozona, TX
Drilled in 1891, this well was the hub of civic life in fledgling Ozona, provided by town founder E. M. Powell with an 18-foot windmill, a trough, and a small cypress tank. At the first meeting of the Crockett County Commissioners Court, held under a nearby live oak that July, the sheriff was put in charge of the waterworks. In a town where most homes and shops were still tents, water was hauled off — sometimes by children pulling toy wagons — until private wells and, later, a piped system took over.
Crockett County Courthouse
Ozona, TX
Completed in 1902 as Crockett County's second courthouse, this American Gothic building was designed by San Angelo architect Oscar Ruffini and built of fine stone quarried nearby. In a remote ranching country, it doubled as the community's social center, hosting cowboy dances, box suppers, and roundup celebrations. In 1909 an arc light was mounted on its steeple to signal the sheriff and guide travelers into Ozona.
Crockett County
Ozona, TX
Carved from Bexar Territory, Crockett County was created on January 22, 1875, and formally organized on July 7, 1891, with Ozona as its county seat. It honors David Crockett (1786–1836), the Tennessee congressman who died defending the Alamo. The marker records the county's founding and its namesake in a few spare lines.
Ozona National Bank
Ozona, TX
Organized in 1905 by the cattle and sheep ranchers who built Crockett County — along with the town's doctor — Ozona's first bank rose in native stone, with the Masonic Lodge occupying the second floor. During construction, banking was carried on next door in L. B. Cox's store.