Fayette County Jail
La Grange, Fayette County, Texas
Marker Inscription
When the congress of the Republic of Texas established Fayette County in 1837, La Grange became its seat of government. A county jail was built in 1838 and used for ten years before it was sold. In 1853, the county purchased two lots in block 33 for a new jail. Architect William Lewis and local stonemason Heinrich Kreische were hired to design and build the two-story structure. The jail was remodeled in 1876 and then destroyed by an arsonist on April 28, 1880. Fayette County approved the construction of a new county jail, completed in 1883 in the same location. Noted architects James Wahrenberger and John Andrewartha designed the stone jail. Rock was hauled from Buckner’s Creek for the outer walls and Muldoon sandstone was used for much of the building. The t-shaped structure features Victorian Gothic architectural style elements and expresses a feeling of solidity with rustic sandstone emphasized with polished stone. The two-story jail featured 16 cells, as well as living quarters and an office for the sheriff and his family who cared for the prisoners. In May 1884, a substantial and ornamental six-foot iron fence was erected surrounding the jail, a significant historical feature of the historic grounds. The 1883 Fayette County Jail served its original function until august 1985 when the new Fayette County Justice Center opened. The building was remodeled in the 1990s with many of the original elements intact. Since then, the building has served many functions benefiting the La Grange community. RECORDED TEXAS HISTORIC LANDMARK – 2017
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When the Republic of Texas carved out Fayette County in 1837, the young town of La Grange became its seat of government, and a jail followed within a year. The stone building that stands today dates to 1883, raised after an arsonist destroyed its predecessor, with rock hauled from Buckner's Creek and Muldoon sandstone shaped into a solid, Victorian Gothic form. For more than a century it held prisoners and housed the sheriff's family before finding new life serving the community.
Why it matters
County jails were among the first permanent institutions a frontier community built, and this one's endurance traces the maturing of local government from the Republic of Texas through the modern era.
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Related people
- · Heinrich Kreische
- · James Wahrenberger
- · John Andrewartha
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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