Milam County Jail of 1895
Cameron, Milam County, Texas
Marker Inscription
When the 1875 Milam County Jailhouse grew too crowded in the 1890s, it was removed to make room for larger facilities. In March 1895, the Milam County Commissioners awarded a contract to the Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis, Missouri, for the construction of a larger prison. The company furnished all supplies, including St. Louis pressed bricks. County Judge Sam Streetman, who later served on the Texas Supreme Court, approved the contract, although he had preferred the use of local building materials. This structure, designed with Romanesque revival features and stone detailing above the windows, had three main floors and a "hanging tower" equipped with a trap door. The tower was never used for executions because most hangings took place outdoors. The first floor had ten rooms, three for storage and the remainder serving as a residence for the sheriff and his family. The second and third stories consisted of cell blocks for prisoners. In 1975 a new county jail was constructed, and the Commissioners Court turned this facility over to the Milam County Historical Commission. After renovation, it was opened as a museum in 1978. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1978
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
When Milam County's 1875 jail grew overcrowded in the 1890s, the commissioners hired the Pauly Jail Building and Manufacturing Company of St. Louis to build a larger prison, completed in 1895 of St. Louis pressed brick. Designed in the Romanesque Revival style, it rose three stories with a "hanging tower" and trap door—never actually used, since most executions took place outdoors. The ground floor housed the sheriff's family, the upper floors held cell blocks, and after a new jail opened in 1975 the old building was renovated into a museum.
Why it matters
Built by a specialized national jail-manufacturing firm, the Milam County Jail shows how Gilded Age industry standardized even county lockups across small-town America.
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Related people
- · Sam Streetman
Themes & tags
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